Much More than Meets the Eye
by LadyDeb1970
Summary: Twelfth in the Worlds Apart series: A Decepticon attack against a function attended by Lacey and Ianto officially brings Torchwood into the war between the factions, and Ianto is forced to confront terrifying memories.
1. Prologue: Father and Child

Author's Notes: Well, here it is, the story I've been waiting to write ever since seeing the first live-action _Transformers_ movie in 2007, and to some degree, since I first got into _Torchwood_, nearly two years ago. This is the real point of origin for the entire _Worlds Apart_ series. I want to alert you to a nickname that NEST has for Optimus, used by the individual soldiers at varying times in the story. In the movies, they call him 'Big Buddha,' which is evidently his call sign (and doesn't it suit him?) and 'Big Man' (courtesy of Epps), but in this story, the younger soldiers call him 'Papa Bot,' which is even more fitting than Big Buddha. I cannot take credit for that: it was originated by the amazing EpsilonPax and her writing partner, Bumbee, who graciously gave me permission to use it. Go, check out their stories, if you aren't familiar with them: they are _so_ worth your time.

Disclaimer: All things _Transformers_ (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Jazz, Hot Rod, Ratchet, Jolt, Elita One, the Arcee triplets, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, Will Lennox and his family, Bobby Epps and his family, Skids and Mudflaps, Megatron, Starscream, Barricade, NEST, John Keller, Tom Banachek and Reginald Simmons) belong to Hasbro and/or Michael Bay. Everything _Torchwood_ (Captain Jack Harkness, Dr. Owen Harper, Suzie Costello, Toshiko Sato, Rhys Williams, Ianto Jones, the Torchwood Institute itself) belongs to Russell T. Davies, the BBC and Starz Studios to some degree. Lacey Keller Harkness, her daughter Corinna, her mother and her sisters, along with Caitlin Banachek, on the other hand, are mine. I'm not making money from these stories (helpful as that might be); my payment comes from giving the characters I love so very much even a little bit of happiness.

Much More than Meets the Eye

Prologue

Father and Child

Mojave Desert

2006

He stood tall, staring up at the night sky as the 'comets' plunged to earth. Eight more of his Autobots were arriving on Earth … eight more members of his clan were joining him on their new home. He had no idea which eight were arriving, but hoped with his whole spark that his remaining sparkling was among them. Occasionally, he would look across the vast desert where he and his diminutive human allies waited for the newcomers. The Mojave Desert, this was called, and Optimus Prime was continuously awed by how alive this planet was.

Bumblebee activated their internal comm, asking, '_Do you believe that Rodi is with them_?' Optimus settled a hand on his youngest sparkling's shoulder. Aside from his chosen little brother, very few humans knew that Bumblebee was his youngling, and that would remain the case for his own protection. Even after so long, his spark wept when he remembered his precious femmeling's lifeless shell in his arms, and he was determined that would not happen again. _Never again_. He lost Sunburst. He lost Elita. He nearly lost both Bumblebee and Hot Rod, and by Primus, if he could protect his remaining children with his silence, he would do so!

"I hope so, little one. Your older brother will be quite amused to discover that you two now have an 'uncle' many vorns younger than yourselves," Optimus replied and Bumblebee chirped in amusement. As of yet, he hadn't met Captain Jack Harkness, the young human director of NEST's sister agency, Torchwood, but Optimus mentioned him quite frequently. And to a being as ancient as Optimus Prime, or even young Bumblebee (who was activated long before the pyramids of Egypt were built), Jack was very young, even at a hundred seventy.

"Especially since that 'uncle' is also Mikaela's grandfather," Bumblebee observed. Optimus was too old and too battle-hardened to show his surprise, and his youngest sparkling continued, "Mikaela wanted me to know, even though I'm remaining as Sam's guardian. Their relationship is still very new, my sire, and she isn't ready to tell him. I cannot blame her, particularly when you consider that Jack is more than a hundred years old, but looks like he's no more than thirty-five or forty. Still, she feels guilty about keeping this from Sam. I reassured her that I have much experience in keeping secrets. This secret will be easy to keep."

Optimus said nothing for several moments as the first protoform unfolded from the pod. Bumblebee added, "I'll explain further, my sire," and ended their conversation. This was Jolt, a young mech who, from what Optimus was told, was a capable field medic. Another protoform unfolded, and a quick hail on the internal comm informed him that Sideswipe was now on planet, and Optimus felt for the young front-liner. He was uncertain where his twin Sunstreaker was, but he was sure that he wasn't deactivated. Thinking of his spark ache when he lost his own brother, regardless of how power-mad he was by then, Optimus could only hope that Sideswipe was correct. But if he was wrong … if he was wrong, then he wouldn't be functioning. So Sunstreaker was still alive, somewhere. He had to be.

The Arcee triplets were next to approach, and he greeted them gravely, explaining that the most pertinent information about their new home could be found on the World Wide Web. He cautioned them, however, about the sites they accessed. There were some things he wasn't quite ready to discuss with his new troops. As the triplets connected to the internet, another two protoforms emerged from their pods … arguing. Optimus would have rolled his optics, as he'd seen Major Lennox do when he was exasperated, but he was still Prime. And here were the younger twins, Skids and Mudflap, who spent as much time fighting each other as they did the Decepticons. On his shoulder, Major Lennox cleared his throat and asked, "Uhm, Optimus? I don't understand a word of Cybertronian, but that sounds like arguing to me. Are those two enemies or brothers? You gotta admit, that line gets blurred sometimes."

"Those are the younger twins, Major, Skids and Mudflap," Optimus replied, trying (and largely succeeding) to keep the exasperation out of his voice. The young major, admirably, did not respond aside from a rather telling '_ah_.' The time Optimus spent on the World Wide Web informed him that most humans who behaved as Skids and Mudflap were called 'class clowns.' However, that same research told him that said humans often behaved that was deliberately. Optimus wasn't sure which was worse.

"They're also called 'the idiot twins,' Lennox. I doubt if I need to explain the reasoning for that," Ironhide said gruffly. Optimus virtuously restrained from laughing (he did not snicker and he did not chortle. Primes did not snicker or chortle, they showed their amusement in other ways). Ironhide added, "And unless my optics are malfunctioning, Prime, your older sparkling is emerging from his pod." To his credit, the older soldier didn't refer to Hot Rod as his first-sparked; then again, he wouldn't. He was there when Sunburst was murdered by her uncle and when a spark-shattered Optimus and Elita returned their beautiful little femmeling to the All-Spark … he was always there for Optimus. Primus willing, he always would be.

"You wouldn't have to worry about malfunctioning optics if you would come in when you were supposed to," Ratchet sniped, and Optimus simply ignored them, to say nothing of the chuckles that reached his audios from the humans. His focus was entirely on the approaching Hot Rod. It had been so long since he saw his older mechling … further, they didn't part on the best of terms, with Optimus recovering from one of his near-deactivation experience and Hot Rod reeling from guilt and horror.

As Hot Rod approached him, Optimus was uncertain if he should be relieved or disappointed when his youngling said, "Hot Rod reporting to Earth, sir." _Hot Rod reporting to Earth, sir_. Nothing came through on the internal comms, and Bumblebee chirped at him anxiously. Very well. Commander to soldier, it was, then. It seemed that Hot Rod still hadn't forgiven Optimus or himself for that long-ago battle with Megatron. Optimus would honor his mechling's wishes. He only hoped that Hot Rod didn't take his still-strong resentment out on his younger brother. Brothers should stand together. Optimus had no more chances with Megatron; he wouldn't let the same thing happen to Hot Rod and Bumblebee.

TBC


	2. Chapter 1: A Black Tie Disaster

Author's Notes: A quick note, just in case it's necessary. Up until this story, the emphasis has been on _Torchwood_ and its characters. As of this story, it becomes a more complete crossover, with the characters in each others' worlds and interacting. In this chapter, Ianto finds himself roped into acting as Lacey's escort to a Function (which ends about as well as you'd expect it to); Drake Keller finally makes his debut; while Tom Banachek fears a Decepticon incursion … with good reason. And off we go!

Much More than Meets the Eye

Chapter One

A Black-Tie Disaster

Hoover Dam

2006

Oh Lord, he was running _late_! People often teased him about being something of a control freak, even before Torchwood One fell, but that tendency got even worse after his entire life was wiped out by the Daleks and Cybermen. He hated being out of control and he hated being late. And as if he wasn't already stressed enough, his cell phone rang. Of course, he didn't realize it was his cell phone at first, as someone (such as his boss, perhaps) got the bright idea to reprogram it with Glenn Miller's _String of Pearls_. That kind of music was something that the captain enjoyed a great deal, even if it wasn't his own cup of tea. However, that thought was derailed as he flipped open his phone and heard, "Ianto! Have you seen Lacey?"

Ianto Jones briefly thought about answering, '_fine, Drake, how are you_?' However, he was too bloody nervous to get smart-arsed with the head of the Tantalis Institute (whom he didn't know well at all), so instead, he replied, "No, Dr. Keller, I haven't. I just left the archives and I'm heading for the conference room now. That's probably where she is." As he spoke, he anxiously straightened his tie, mind racing. He couldn't think of anywhere else she might be … he knew she wasn't in the captain's office … and he couldn't leave her behind. Quite apart from Drake's refusal to move if Lacey wasn't in the car, Ianto knew how protective his boss was of her.

"Okay ... she isn't up here. Can you check on your way up?" Dr. Drake Keller requested. The young man refrained from rolling his eyes, even though Drake was in the car and therefore couldn't see him. Considering Ianto already said he was heading to the conference room, it seemed a bit obvious to the young Welshman. However, no doubt Drake was just as nervous as Ianto. That was the only reason he was cutting him slack. Well ... that, and the fact that Lacey was Drake's niece.

Ianto's nightmare began four hours earlier, while he was cleaning up after lunch. Owen was being an arse (as usual), Suzie was poring over the reports from Torchwood Three, and Toshiko was investigating something else that the Cardiff branch included when they sent the Totemizer a few weeks earlier. Captain Harkness called him into his office, and as ever, Ianto's first, panicked thought was, '_has he found Lisa_?' It was an appropriate reaction, especially after Agent Marshall's attack against Torchwood while Captain Harkness was a cat. Of course, it was nothing of the sort. Instead, he had a great favor to ask Ianto, and yes, those were the precise words he used.

And ... ah, he was at the conference room. A quick peek through the window of the new door told him that yes, there she was, now dressed in a rather spectacular white evening gown. As he heard Agent Simmons observe on occasion, she cleaned up real nice. The young woman on the other side of the door wasn't his type (even if his Lisa wasn't fighting for her very soul), but she still looked quite stunning. Lacey Harkness was leaning forward, as if staring at something on the laptop, and sliding in a pair of pearl earrings. What ... was she using the reflection of the computer screen as a mirror? Ianto raised his eyebrows in astonished amusement and told the other man, "I found her. She's putting the finishing touches on her outfit."

Ianto flipped the phone shut, and observed as he opened the door and stepped inside the conference room, "Well, at least we can be late together. Let me guess … last minute details?" She colored and ducked her head ruefully. There were times when he and Lacey were entirely too much alike. That was probably one reason why Lacey's husband and Ianto's boss asked him to accompany her tonight. He had conference calls all day long with UNIT, with the Crown, and even with the White House. Since he was raised to be a gentleman, he decided to start by offering his arm to the brunette, asking, "May I escort you to the car, m'lady?"

"Why, thank you, kind sir!" Lacey responded with a broad grin, tucking a slim hand into the crook of his elbow as they headed for the lift that would take them to the top of Hoover Dam and the car where Drake Keller and the others waited. Captain Harkness was still on his conference call, but he waved as they passed his office, mouthing, 'have fun and be careful.' The others were out on a call, and Ianto double-checked Lisa before leaving to find Lacey. As an archivist for Torchwood One, Ianto saw his share of limousines, but this would be the first time he actually rode in one. Normally, the scientists of Tantalis carpooled in two or three cars, but this was a special night.

That included the sleek, white limousine now awaiting them on the far end of the bridge on top of the Dam. Ianto really had little interest in cars. Even so, he could still appreciate a beautiful piece of art, and that was the truest definition of a limousine: a beautiful piece of art on wheels. Still, his mind skipped next to the night ahead of them, wishing for the thousandth time that anyone other than himself was escorting Lacey Keller Harkness to tonight's function (all right, aside from Owen Harper). When he wasn't fretting about Lisa or thinking about the strange device on loan to them (courtesy of Drake's college roommate, Reginald Simmons), Ianto was worrying about the possibility of making himself look like an idiot.

As if sensing his concern (oh, very well, his anxiety), Lacey said softly as she squeezed his arm reassuringly, "You know, you don't have to dance, Ianto. You can just sit with me at the table and watch everyone else. I'll protect you from the nasty females and you can protect me from the nasty males. Sometimes, for some unknown reason, my wedding ring just doesn't do the trick. Maybe I should introduce them to Jack sometime and be done with it." Ianto couldn't help but smile at his companion. _That _would be a meeting he'd enjoy seeing!

"Yes, but how will we know the nasty females and the nasty males from the garden-variety of each? Aside from the possibility of bumping into Agent Simmons, of course," Ianto teased. Lacey rolled her eyes, but smiled. Ianto supposed he should be nicer to the liaison between Torchwood and NEST. To be fair, the weasel _was_ rather subdued over the last few weeks, especially after Marshall tried to take out most of Torchwood and part of NEST (namely, Major Lennox, Sergeant Epps, and Rhys Williams). Captain Harkness was beyond furious, and even Simmons was afraid when Captain Harkness was _that_ angry. That wasn't taking into account how Lacey's father, the Secretary of Defense and a co-founder of NEST, reacted.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about Simmons now," Lacey drawled, sounding like a combination of her mother and her husband. She grinned, adding as they reached the limo in her normal voice, "Even if he does show up, I'm on very good terms with his superior officers: all three of them. Tom Banacek is especially good about fulfilling his debts, particularly when they involve his baby girl." Oh, really? He would have to wait to hear more about this, because once they were in the limo, shop-talk was strictly forbidden. But he was looking forward to hearing about it eventually. If nothing else, tonight would make a good story to tell Lisa.

He had no idea how wrong he was.

TWTWTWTWTW

Well, it was about damn time!

Dr. Drake Keller relaxed somewhat minutely as the door of the limo opened and first his niece Lacey, and then Ianto Jones, crawled inside. Huh. So the Welsh kid was a gentleman. That was always nice to see. As the pair found seats, Drake did another headcount. As the youngest son of a former kindergarten teacher, Drake got into the habit of counting heads whenever his people left the Institute in a group. Usually, his niece would help with a confirmed count if she was accompanying him. However, she was one of the lost lambs this time and his older brother would have had his head if anything happened to her. Drake didn't want to even _think_ about what Lacey's husband would take from his anatomy in the aforementioned scenario.

"Dare I ask what kept you?" he asked as she settled in between his intern and a senior scientist. It was actually something of a rhetorical question. Lacey dropped her young daughter Corey off with her mother before heading to Hoover Dam, where her husband was the director of Torchwood America. According to Drake's brother, Lacey wasn't supposed to be doing any work today with Torchwood. Of course, the universe was never that kind ... not to their family. Drake sometimes thought the Milky Way would implode if something ever actually went right for his family. Murphy's Law wasn't just a theory for him, for his brother, sister-in-law or nieces, it was a fact of the universe and what Lacey's husband called a fixed point in time and space.

"You can ask. I was finishing up the proposal you wanted done, since your own secretary is on her vacation this week. You do remember the proposal you wanted me to type up and formalize, don't you?" Lacey sniped. Ow. Yeah, he did. He begged her to do it before she joined them this evening and she promised she would do so once she reached the Dam. He supposed he could have done it himself, but the proposals always looked better when Lacey did it. More practice, he supposed. She took care of some of the administrative duties for her husband (who cheerfully admitted that he sucked at that side of being a director). She continued, "I finished that up, and then changed into my frou-frous. I was just finishing up in the conference room when Ianto arrived."

"She was putting her earrings in, using the computer screen," the young man supplied. Lacey flushed, but nodded. She was putting her earrings in using the computer screen? How in the hell did _that_ work? Ianto elaborated, "She was using the computer screen as a mirror. And aren't those the earrings your mum and dad got you for your last birthday?" Yes, Drake thought those looked somewhat familiar. He was with his brother when he saw them and insisted that they would be perfect for Lacey. To the best of his knowledge, Lacey had only worn them once or twice. It stood to reason, with a small daughter and a husband who was often described as jeopardy friendly (for good reason).

"Why, exactly, were you using the computer screen as a mirror to put those in? Why didn't you use the real mirror, in the bathroom? Obviously, you used it when you changed into your evening gown," Drake pointed out. He watched with some amusement as his niece ground her teeth, glaring at him all the while. While they were in the limo, he could wind her up to his heart's content ... and it was one of his favorite things to do. Thanks to the slight age difference between them (he was fourteen when she was born), they often behaved more like siblings than uncle and niece.

"No, _not _obviously. I changed in the conference room, because my husband's medic did something that flooded out the ladies' locker room and bathroom, and I wouldn't put it past Owen to do it for completely puerile reasons," Lacey fired back with some asperity. Ianto nodded, rolling his eyes with obvious exasperation. Drake thought briefly about teasing her about the some things her husband did as a prank in the past, and decided against it. One thing he learned from his brother ... there was a reason for the aphorism, '_discretion is the better part of valor_.' Never was that more true than dealing with their womenfolk. Besides, having met Owen Harper, there was no doubt in his mind that she was right.

Instead, he turned his attention to the rest of his team, starting with their intern, twenty-seven year old Christopher Lennox. More than one of his brother's colleagues asked him how a scientific institute had an intern ... especially when that intern was working toward a Doctorate in Ancient Civilizations. Drake always answered that interns ran errands and did mundane things the scientists didn't have time to do (like get lunch) and Chris needed a paycheck of some kind. His nephew by marriage had Ianto Jones, who did a little bit of everything … why shouldn't Drake? Besides, he liked the kid and his older brother.

Seated beside him was Geoff McLeod. A quiet Scot in his mid-forties, Geoff was the first scientist whom Drake interviewed and hired at the Institute ... it was also he who recommended Chris as an intern, observing that the youngster was a quick study and a hard worker. He was right on both counts, and it was that recommendation which led Drake to trust Geoff's general judgment. Drake still didn't know how he felt about Geoff's crush on Lacey. On the one hand, Drake knew his niece was a pretty young woman. On the other hand, Lacey was happily married for nearly ten years with a young daughter whom both parents utterly adored.

Regardless of his feelings, Geoff was one hundred percent professional. The same couldn't be said about the scientist to the Scot's right. Dr. Noah Sanders was, in many ways, a scientist version of Drake's old college buddy, Reggie Simmons. Actually, Reggie was never that bad. Noah Sanders, on the other hand, was an annoying prat who had a nasty habit of circulating ugly rumors about married women. That included Drake's niece. The only reason Jack hadn't opened a can of whoop ass on Sanders was that so far, he didn't know about those rumors. Drake wasn't entirely sure why Noah did such things, although Chris believed Sanders was burned by a married woman at some point. Either way, he was smug, arrogant, and self-righteous ... but he was also a damn good scientist. That was the only reason Drake put up with him or protected him from his nephew-in-law's wrath.

And finally, there was Ianto Jones, who wasn't a member of Drake's team but for tonight, was under the scientist's protection (and woe to Drake if he returned with the young man in less than pristine shape). For the last few weeks, Ianto became a combination of receptionist/butler/archivist for Torchwood America. In short, he did whatever Jack and the others needed to keep things running smoothly. Like most people in Jack's team, Drake didn't know the young man very well. Actually, that wasn't entirely true. He had drinks with Owen Harper on occasion since Tantalis moved into the Dam, and gently flirted with Toshiko Sato and Suzie Costello on occasion.

However, the newest member of Torchwood America was something of a cipher. The first time Drake met the young man was right after Jack was turned back into a human (from being a cat). According to Drake's niece, Ianto was a quiet Welshman who had an unnerving habit of melting into the shadows. She found that disturbing because she was almost positive that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was one of the few survivors of the atrocity known as Canary Wharf, and Drake would have been far more surprised if she was wrong than if she was right.

This was his team and his family, some of whom he liked, some of whom he loved, and some of whom he would just as soon drop-kick off a cliff (if he was capable of such things any more, which he wasn't). However, he was fiercely proud of all of them, especially with the discoveries they made about the shrapnel given to them in the wake of Mission City. Tonight would celebrate the individuals ... the discoveries themselves would wait until another time.

At least, that _was_ the plan.

TWTWTWTWTW

Las Vegas, NV

He didn't like this. Something didn't feel right, and he spent too many years in Sector Seven to ignore his instincts. Thomas Banacek shifted uneasily in his seat, eyes sweeping with practiced ease over the ballroom where tonight's Event would take place. He didn't like that this was even taking place, but he was overruled. His immediate boss hadn't liked it either, but that was why Tom was here. He was more than willing to risk his own life to protect John Keller's first-born, especially while Optimus Prime finished briefing Lacey's new Autobot guardian, but he was unwilling to place his daughter's life in danger.

It was his original plan to leave Caitlin with her maternal aunt, Lorraine, while they were in Nevada, but Lorrie flaked out at the absolute last minute (surprise, surprise) and Tom was unable to find a babysitter in time. So, Caitlin was quickly washed and dressed in her Sunday finest. The poor kid sat beside him, kicking her feet glumly against the chair. Tom lightly caressed her fine brown hair and she offered him a wan smile. That smile went straight to his heart, as it reminded him painfully of the smiles her mother gave him toward the end of her life. Tom picked Caitlin up from the chair and settled her in his lap. The little girl curled up, cuddling against him.

"We won't stay long, baby girl," Tom murmured, rocking her from side to side, "just long enough for Daddy to make sure that he isn't being paranoid." There was no reason to think there would be Decepticon activity tonight. On the other hand, there was also no reason to think there wouldn't be, either. He was really starting to wish he stayed in DC, doing paperwork. But, he needed to come to Nevada for this function and to confer with Optimus Prime about the new base on Diego Garcia. As much as he respected and trusted the Autobot leader, leaving Caitlin at the temporary base was _not _an option. He didn't have the right to ask the Autobots to take care of a seven year old girl. Caitlin was _his_ responsibility.

Yet, he couldn't deny Optimus was very good with the little girl. And far from being terrified of the huge mech, Caitlin actually adored him ... and all the other Autobots. But Optimus was her favorite. It was a common sight at the base, to see Caitlin Banacek hugging one of his fingers when she entered the room ... that was about the only part of him she could hug. Tom wondered, on more than one occasion, if Prime had children of his own ... or, as the Cybertronians called them, sparklings. He never quite had the heart, or the nerve, to ask the Autobot leader. Not when so few of their people remained.

Caitlin asked softly, "Is Miss Lacey gonna be here, Daddy?" He smiled and kissed the top of his daughter's head. She met the Secretary of Defense's oldest daughter a few times, including a memorable visit to Washington DC. It was during the transition of Hoover Dam from Sector Seven to Torchwood, and Lacey Keller Harkness was in DC with her husband. While Jack Harkness was in meetings with his father-in-law and Tom, Lacey looked after Caitlin and played tourist with Caitlin and her own daughter Corey, all without pay. He owed her big time, no matter how much she told him she enjoyed spending time with Caitlin.

"She might be. Especially if Dr. Keller has his way," Tom observed wryly. Caitlin evidently thought this was very funny, for she giggled uncontrollably. Tom merely kissed the top of her head again, smiling to himself. If his former agents in Sector Seven could have seen him, they would have teased him mercilessly about being a pushover for his little girl. However, he would have merely smiled and thanked them for the compliment, especially since Caitlin was all he had left. Assuming, of course, he didn't glare the offender into submission and that was just as likely.

And ... there they were, arriving en masse and in a single file line. Lacey's input, no doubt, especially since she was pushing Drake's wheelchair. In some ways, she was alarmingly like his wife, before she became so ill. He said as much to Sarah Lennox, who laughed and responded that it was the mother in Lacey. Tom couldn't argue with that. His boss' daughter had a tendency to mother those around her, and half the time, they didn't even know she was doing it. He pointed this out to Sarah as well, who answered, "That's what makes her dangerous, Tom." That sounded like something his Vanessa would have said. He didn't tell her that, though.

The Tantalis group found their seats, the two people affiliated with Torchwood sitting together. Dinner and dancing was first, according to the schedule given to him as he entered with Caitlin, and then the presentation. He asked Caitlin, "Shall we go over and say '_hello_' to Miss Lacey and Mr. Ianto?" Caitlin nodded so fiercely, he was half afraid that her head would come off her shoulders. Tom eased his daughter down from his lap, took her hand, and let her over to the Tantalis table. Lacey noticed them first, and smiled, holding her hands out to Caitlin. The little girl took the invitation as it was intended, and threw herself into the young woman's arms. With an ease that Tom was still learning, Lacey lifted Caitlin up and onto her lap, all without Caitlin's shoes ever touching her dress. Tom nodded to her and to young Ianto Jones, saying, "Good to see you both. I hope you're both recovering from your ordeal?"

The young man shuddered, but pretended not to and turned his attention to Caitlin, who was thoroughly charmed by his Welsh accent. According to Tom's little girl, it was pretty, '_just like Ianto_.' Tom never told the youngster what Caitlin had to say. He would take Jack's word for Ianto looking good in red, but that didn't mean he wanted to see the boy's face the same color as a cherry tomato. And that was exactly what would happen if he shared his daughter's insights with their young companion.

For his own part, Drake Keller looked rather sour. He was, according to the Secretary, not pleased at all to hear about the former Sector Seven who invaded Hoover Dam. Torchwood America took up a small amount of the Dam, and Tantalis used the rest of the facilities once used by Sector Seven. He wasn't pleased by what he heard, or that he found out about it after it was over. Lacey, however, hit her uncle with a feminized version of her father's Glare, saying, "We're fine, but making sure something like that doesn't happen again. In fact, that was one of the reasons Jack had to all but beg Ianto to accompany me … he's been working on making sure he isn't taken by surprise like that again." The young man blushed and dropped his eyes. Tom wasn't so sure that he was simply embarrassed; there seemed to be some guilt in there, too. But why?

Drake muttered something under his breath, and the man's niece glowered at him. Her hands moved from stabilizing Caitlin to covering the child's ears, adding, "Another comment like that, Drake, and I'll tell your entire department about how you snogged my husband the first time you met him." Drake's face turned fire-engine red, and Tom was forced to conclude that cherry-tomato red suited Ianto better than fire-engine red suited Drake. He was also grateful that Lacey thought to cover Caitlin's ears, even though his baby girl was indignant about missing some of the conversation. Lacey said softly, "I know you wanted to hear, baby, but I was chastising my uncle. I had to cover your ears to avoid embarrassing him."

Tom bit back a smile … very nicely done. Of course, Drake didn't agree, and he … _what the hell was that_? The hairs on the back of Tom's neck stood up. While he was primarily a scientist, he was a veteran Sector Seven agent, and he hadn't survived Sector Seven without listening to his instincts. Lacey asked softly, "Tom, what is it? What are you hearing?" He didn't answer … at least, he didn't answer in words. Instead, he swept his daughter into his arms and motioned Ianto to help Lacey to her feet. The Canary Wharf survivor did so, stepping closer to her protectively.

"You need to get out of here, all of you, right now! There's no way to be sure, but something is here that doesn't belong. I'm calling for an evacuation. Chris, you're in charge of getting Dr. Keller to safety. Lacey, I know this is going to go against every instinct you possess, but you need to scatter. I'm putting my daughter in your care. Ianto Jones, you are responsible for the safety of my child and Lacey. I know you survived Canary Wharf, son, but if I'm right, whatever just infiltrated this building is a helluva lot more dangerous. You find a closet, you stay there until you have confirmation that either I'm on the other side of the door, or Jack is."

"We need a safe word, Tom. We need to know that it's you, and that you're not under duress," Lacey observed, accepting Caitlin back into her arms. Tom beamed at her briefly as he signaled a waiter, who was in fact a member of NEST. Sometimes, he forgot that Lacey was the daughter of one powerful man (even though said powerful man was his boss) and the wife of another. And then, she gently reminded him, usually without meaning to do so.

Tom never wanted to do this. Just by virtue of being the daughter of John Keller and the wife of Jack Harkness, Lacey was in danger, but he knew her father and husband wanted to keep her safer just a little longer. With the infiltration, that wasn't possible, and he said, "NBE. It's NBE, or non-biological extraterrestrial. As soon as you two leave the ballroom, I'm calling Jack. He … he needs to be here for this." He virtuously ignored Ianto's muttered, '_there's an understatement of epic proportion_,' and kissed his daughter's forehead, saying, "Be a good girl for Miss Lacey and Mr. Ianto, sweetheart, and I'll see you soon." Lacey pulled Caitlin up higher on her hip, and Tom hissed, "Now get _out_ of here!"

Ianto nodded, took Lacey's hand, and led her out of the ballroom. He had no idea how deep the infiltration was, and hoped against hope that the evacuees didn't encounter the Decepticons. He didn't put much faith in that, though. Things never worked like that, not for Sector Seven or NEST.

TBC


	3. Chapter 2: Never Far From the Surface

Author's Notes: Writing this chapter was akin to pulling teeth for me. Mind you, I realized even before I started planning out the story as a whole that Ianto would react badly to seeing the Decepticons, after the events of Canary Wharf, so I should have anticipated having trouble with this chapter. However, I'm pretty pleased with how things turned out (even if it took longer than I was anticipating to write). In this chapter, Jack arrives on the scene; Ianto finds himself back in a nightmare; while Lacey begins to process the newest upset to her worldview. And she hasn't even met the Autobots yet.

Chapter Two

Never Far From the Surface

The last thing Captain Jack Harkness wanted, after spending all day on the phone with pompous twats, was to get another phone call. Actually, what he wanted was his wife with him, massaging his shoulders and temples, humming softly as he inhaled her perfume. However, she was at a special event, given to honor her uncle's work. Lacey deserved the recognition, just as much as the scientists. She spent her time taking care of the administrative side of Torchwood and Tantalis while Corey was at kindergarten. It was only right that Drake touted her contributions. Without her, the scientists couldn't do their work. Jack pondered the logistics of having a similar night for Torchwood, and decided the best person to help him was his mother-in-law. Corinna Winton Keller was an ace at this type of thing.

Jack only wished he could be there tonight with Lacey. He trusted Ianto, but it was so long since he and Lacey had a date night. That was something else he needed to arrange. At least Corinna needed no convincing to watch her granddaughter. And if for some reason Corinna wasn't available, Mikaela informed him in no uncertain terms that they would be having words if he didn't ask her. They were, after all, family. For now, she was still maintaining the fiction that Jack was her uncle when her boyfriend asked about their relationship, and Jack would leave that up to her. She knew Sam better than he did, though he saw the youngster around the temporary Autobot base from time to time, and Sam eyed him rather warily.

He was reading over a report that Lacey typed up for him when the phone rang again. Five minutes without being on the phone. That was better than he anticipated. Rolling his eyes at the vague Caller ID, Jack picked it up with a somewhat absent-minded, "This is Harkness." He focused on scrawling his signature, nearly dropping the pen when he heard the sound of fighting on the other side of the line. He said a bit more urgently, battle instincts going instantly online, "Lacey-girl? Is everything all right?" There was no reason in the world to think his wife was in trouble, aside from the exchange, which was for Las Vegas.

"Jack, this is Tom Banachek. We need you here now …" the familiar Southern accent informed him. There was a grunt and Jack gripped the receiver a little more tightly, and Banachek continued hoarsely, "The Decepticons attacked the convention center. We managed to evacuate nearly everyone, but we could really use your help here, Jack. Before you ask, Lacey is fine. I sent her, Ianto and my daughter to find a hiding place, and NEST members were in place to act as waiters. A chopper is on its way to pick you up."

Lacey was safe for the moment. That was the first thing Jack's mind picked up, and then the rest of Tom's statement, and he replied, "I'll be topside in five minutes." He sent a quick text to Suzie, explaining where he was going and why (more to protect himself from his second's wrath than anything else because he _knew_ how she reacted when Lacey was in trouble), made sure everything was where it needed to be, and then raced up to where he would meet the chopper. He already knew where he needed to be, thanks to Lennox and Epps, who showed him when they were giving him the tour of Hoover Dam.

"Captain Harkness? I'm Lt. Ainsley, sir, I'll be transporting you to the hotel and convention center where the attack took place. The fighting is mostly done, but Miss Lacey and Mr. Jones haven't been found yet, as of the last transmission," the pilot said, once Jack swung himself inside the helicopter, buckled himself in, and picked up the headset. Jack nodded mutely, not trusting himself to speak right now. Lt. Ainsley said as the helicopter rose from the pavement, "Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps are already onsite, along with Ironhide and a new 'Bot. His designation, as close as we can come in English, is Hot Rod."

The words sent a jolt through Jack. Hot Rod … that was the original designation for his old friend, Rodimus Prime, before he took the Matrix of Leadership. He couldn't think about that right now, because if he did … ooh, there were times when he hated time travel. Or, as his wife was wont to say, '_temporal mechanics give me a headache_.' That wasn't usually the case with him, though there were times when he agreed with her. Instead, he refocused his attention on the here and now, and simply asked, "What about Optimus, has he arrived yet?"

"Not yet, sir, but he's aware of the situation, and is en route. He also said to tell you, and I quote, '_wait until you've returned home to explain everything to Alexandra_.' I gotta say, sir, Papa Bot probably has the right idea there. He usually does," the lieutenant replied and Jack barely bit back a smirk, both at the statement and at the new nickname for Optimus that he'd been hearing from the younger members of NEST. Yeah, for someone who had limited exposure to humans until recently, Optimus already figured out a few important truths. And after the mess with Sector Seven a few weeks earlier, Jack wasn't taking any chances.

"That's the plan. At least she already knows that her father and I have been keeping something from her, so the rest of the story won't be as big of a surprise as it could have been," Jack replied. He knew his wife still wouldn't be happy with him or with John, especially since she was there at Jack's side when Tosh discovered the battle between Scorponok and the SOCCENT survivors. However, what was done was done, and as much as he wanted to be Lacey's husband right now, he had to be the Director of Torchwood America. Once the job was done, then he could be Lacey's husband.

"Yes, sir. Oh, and Optimus has made a decision about her guardian among the new arrivals, but he wants to wait until tomorrow to introduce them," the young man informed him. Jack's lips quirked. Yeah, that was probably the best idea. Hoover Dam fell away as the helicopter rose into the air. His mobile chimed, informing him of a text from Suzie. '_All is fine here, just take care of Lacey and the kid_.' That was certainly his plan. At least, part of it. And after he ensured that Lacey and Ianto were all right, he needed to talk to his wife's uncle. Tantalis had something the Decepticons wanted, and Jack needed to know what that something was.

TWTFTWTFTWTF

He really should have expected something like this. Over the last few weeks, as he grew accustomed to the United States and to the rest of Torchwood America, Ianto learned that unlike Torchwood One, this branch was accustomed to chaos, seemed to thrive on it, even. What made him think that a night out with NEST and Tantalis would be any less chaotic? And now, he was seeking refuge from whatever just attacked the event with his boss' wife and the small daughter of Tom Banachek. The night started with such promise. Maybe that was where he made his mistake, assuming it would stay that way. Hopefully, it was a mistake that wouldn't cost all of their lives. They made their way down the hall, trying to be as silent as possible as he tried each door. Caitlin Banachek was wrapped around Lacey, face buried in the young woman's neck as Lacey held her protectively. Ianto tried to focus on finding an unlocked door, on Caitlin's whimpers of terror, even his longing to be with Lisa, as long as he didn't have to think about the sounds he could hear coming from the ballroom they left no more than ten minutes earlier. Because if he thought about what he was hearing … No. No, he couldn't think about that.

And so, he thought instead about Lisa, hoping she was all right, that no one in Torchwood would find her. Ianto was assured that she was in one of the most secure rooms in Hoover Dam. But that came from the same man who tried to kill him, who would have killed him and who sought to use Lisa. He was a worse liar than Ianto was. The young man triple-checked all of the equipment before he left to find Lacey, promising to tell her everything about tonight. He thought as the sounds of the battle came closer that he would edit it. They never really talked about what happened at Canary Wharf, about the day when their world fell apart. Lisa lived with the consequences every day of her life, and Ianto spent half of his time trying to find a way to save her. They never talked about that day, they never talked about what would happen when Lisa became whole again, and they never talked about how they would tell Captain Harkness … when they talked about the future, it was always about the happy times in store for them.

But that couldn't stop him from thinking about those scenarios. Since a lot of power was needed for Tantalis, who took the areas Torchwood didn't need, the power fluctuations caused by Lisa's unit mostly went unnoticed, and it was Ianto's hope that he could continue to fly under the radar. He … what the hell was that? Lacey froze in place, her eyes meeting Ianto's, and the young man wasn't at all reassured to see a terror equal to his own as all-too-familiar sounds drew closer and closer. She mouthed, '_I'll take this side_.' Ianto nodded very slightly. Yes, that was a good idea. Lacey carefully shifted Caitlin in her arms, testing each door with her free hand.

The sounds were coming closer, and Ianto's breathing hitched. As his hand reached automatically for the next knob, Ianto forced himself to think of other things. Like … like the movie night the previous night. It wasn't exactly movie night, as such … more like, Lacey and Rhys Williams watching the old disaster movie, _Airport '77_, on DVD and providing their own commentary (which sounded far more amusing than the commentary provided on the DVD). They invited Ianto to join them, and while he might have accepted that invitation under normal circumstances, Ianto still had to clean up after Owen and see to Lisa. He told Lacey about the first (keeping the second to himself), and she made a face. Rhys observed, '_why don't you tell Harper to do his own damn clean-up_?' before Lacey shushed him and told Ianto, '_next time, then_.' As he left the room, he heard the captain's wife sigh that Ianto shut her out every time she made a suggestion like that, and she just gave up. Rhys grunted something that Ianto couldn't hear, and returned his attention to the movie. From what Ianto could tell, they were debating whether one of the characters still loved her husband. And then, he closed the door behind him, allowing them privacy to watch the movie and removing temptation for him.

A knob gave under his hand, and Ianto stared at it in shock before hissing over his shoulder, "Lacey!" The brunette looked away from her own testing, and her face lit up with relief. She moved away from the doors on the other side and wrapped both arms around Caitlin. The pair was almost to Ianto's side when … What the hell? For a brief moment, Ianto was transported from this Las Vegas convention center back to London and Canary Wharf, and rather than his own ragged breathing and Caitlin's whimpers of terror, he heard '_exterminate_!' and '_you will be upgraded_' as he stared at the monstrosity prowling toward them. But then, Caitlin screamed and Ianto snapped out of his memory-trance. He grabbed the stunned Lacey's arm, literally throwing her and the child inside the closet. Then, as he backed into the closet, Ianto made the mistake of turning to face the not-Dalek, not-Cyberman, whatever it was.

The monstrosity was drawing closer … closer … closer … and as it lunged for the terrified humans, the suddenly-unfrozen Ianto actually slammed the door in its face. Lacey threw her own weight against the door to help him, back pressed against the wood to protect Caitlin. Ianto's teeth all but rattled in his skull as the thing continued to slam against the door. Boom … boom … boom. Beside him, he could hear Caitlin sobbing into Lacey's neck, and his boss' wife gasping with each hit. She did not, Ianto noted in a detached part of his mind, try to tell the child that everything would be all right, that they wouldn't allow anything to happen to her, and he appreciated her unwillingness to lie to the child. But he wished she would say the words anyhow, because he needed to hear them right then.

No words were spoken, but Lacey's fingers curled around his, and Ianto found that just as comforting. This time, he wasn't alone in trying to save someone. He offered his most reassuring smile, but that just drew a sad smile in response. She knew. She knew there was only so long they could hold out, only so long before that thing broke down the door. Oh, they weren't dead yet, but they _were_ running out of time. Ianto squeezed her fingers gently, hoping that someone would be left to save them. He thought of his older sister, of his brother-in-law, of his niece and nephew. Not for the first time, he wondered if he should have made more of an attempt to stay in contact with Rhiannon, since she was the only family he had left. Before, he rejected the idea, since he had to take care of Lisa, but now, he regretted that. Pathetic. He was only twenty-three years old, and he had so many regrets, so many things he'd never done. And then … and then the hits stopped. Ianto wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He held his breath, hoping to hear something, anything that would indicate their fate.

That was when the shouting and the shooting began. Lacey squeezed his hand, and Ianto looked at her. She was smiling, he discovered, a tremulous smile that was far more hopeful than it was just a few moments earlier. Even Caitlin's whimpers and sobs quieted, and she raised her head from Lacey's shoulder. Lacey's tremulous smile grew broad and bright when a familiar voice bellowed, "Lacey! Ianto! Alexandra, answer me!" Lacey lurched away from the door, allowing Ianto to open it, and she stumbled into the corridor once more. Ianto heard Caitlin squeal '_daddy_!' and as he followed the two, he discovered Caitlin lunging for her rather frazzled-looking father, who gladly swept her into his arms, and Lacey being scooped into an equally fierce embrace by her husband. Ianto slumped against the door of their sanctuary, closing his eyes as his heart rate slowed. It was over. It was truly over, and this time, Ianto hadn't failed.

Tom Banachek babbled his thanks to them both, and over his thundering heartbeat, Ianto heard Captain Harkness telling him that it was fine, that he should take his little girl home and tuck her into bed. That sounded like a very good idea, and it wasn't until Lacey asked about her uncle that Ianto opened his eyes. That proved to be a mistake … because in his line of sight were the monsters that were chasing the three of them only moments earlier. Ianto gasped at the metallic monsters he saw, and his legs gave way. Competing chants of '_exterminate_' and '_you will be upgraded_' began once more in his head, along with a roaring in his ears.

_Nononopleasenonotagainplease_! He heard, as if from a terrible distance, someone calling his name, then a pair of small hands were cradling his face. There was a sharp, stinging pain in his cheek, and then a determined voice demanded, "Ianto, listen to me! You're all right, all of us are all right! You are in Las Vegas, Nevada, not in London! You're in the United States, those things aren't the Cybermen or the Daleks, and we are safe! Jack Harkness, don't you dare say anything about closets, or so help me God, you'll be sleeping on the couch for a week!" Ianto gasped and found Lacey Harkness sitting on his legs. Her hands once more cradled his face, but now, she was stroking her thumbs along his cheekbones tenderly.

So, of course, the first words out of his mouth were the incredibly lame, "You're sitting on the floor. You shouldn't be sitting on the floor, much less when you're wearing a white dress … you'll get your dress dirty." If he could have face-palmed, he would have. _Really_? Lecturing the woman on getting her dress dirty (even if he would have to take it to the dry-cleaning)? However pathetic the sentiment or the words were, they made Lacey smile. She stroked his face tenderly, and Ianto was horrified to realize that he was sitting on the floor as well. But Lacey was sitting on his legs, and he wasn't sure if he could stand up, even if she moved. He swallowed hard, trying to reclaim his butler mask. Lacey shifted her weight from his thighs, but never stopped touching his face or his hair, reminding him of his mam before … well, before.

"My dress can be washed, Ianto, I bought one that didn't have to be dry-cleaned. Jack, can you help me get him up? And then, my love, you are going to tell me what that thing is," Lacey said, sounding very determined, indeed. Much to Ianto's astonishment, the captain merely nodded before stepping to her side and helping Ianto to his feet. There were no jokes, no innuendos, no flirting, and as Ianto found himself upright, he looked into the captain's eyes. He wasn't angry. He wasn't even furious. He was beyond anger, beyond fury, beyond anything Ianto could put into words. But his hands were gentle as he looped one of Ianto's arms over his shoulder. Lacey took his other side. Given how wobbly his legs still were, he was more grateful than annoyed.

Ianto thought he said something about, 'this isn't your responsibility,' but Captain Harkness replied simply, "You're one of my people, and that makes you my responsibility. Besides, you risked your life to protect my Lacey. Don't argue with me, Ianto. This is the way it works." Ianto was on the verge of arguing, but a significant Look between the husband and wife, and Lacey released him unexpectedly. Ianto faltered … at least, until Captain Harkness put both arms around him and drew Ianto into his arms. The young man found himself drawn into a tight, but gentle, embrace. Ianto shuddered, and it took him every ounce of strength to keep from burying his face against the captain's neck and just melting into his embrace. He reminded himself of Lisa. He reminded himself of Lacey. He reminded himself that this was his boss. And slowly, oh so slowly, his composure began to return, allowing Ianto to patch over the vulnerability and terror leaking through. There was work to be done.

TWTWTWTWTW

For months, Lacey had known that Jack and her father were keeping some important things from her. That was fine … she knew there was a reason for '_classified_' and other such things. Further, she suspected that those secrets had to do with Jack's stories of his Autobot friends while he was growing up and the attack on the SOCCENT survivors they saw several months earlier. Besides, she was keeping her own secrets from the rest of the team (such as, Jack's immortality). But now, things were different, and she was part of the 'need to know' circle. She became part of that circle from the moment she saw that huge mechanical panther. Or whatever it was. Caitlin was back in Tom's arms, and he looked as if he'd never let her go. Lacey could relate. All she wanted to do right now was pick up her daughter, put Corey and Ianto to bed, and then cuddle with her husband while Jack told her everything he could. There was no doubt in her mind that Ianto would come home with them. He shouldn't be alone right now, not after that kind of trauma, and they could take care of him. A trauma like that was never far from the surface, and he was still reeling from the events of Canary Wharf.

And it seemed that Jack agreed with her. He came for her in the helicopter, and the young pilot was still here. While Jack and Lacey bundled a protesting Ianto into the chopper, Lt. Ainsley joked with Jack about leaving the meter running. Jack fired back, '_hey, it's what you get paid the big bucks for_,' which made the lieutenant laugh. While Jack was bantering with the pilot, Lacey fussed over Ianto, making sure his seatbelt was fastened properly (once her own was taken care of … way too many flights on a plane to break that habit). He was trying to put his pleasant, nondescript persona back in place, but the youngster was still too rattled for that.

For her own part, Lacey was evidently more rattled than she realized, because in a matter of minutes, they were settling on the bridge over Hoover Dam. She was only vaguely aware of taking off and landing, before there was solid ground under the chopper. The trio tumbled from the chopper. Well, Lacey and Ianto tumbled out of the helicopter … Jack stepped down as easily as if he did it every day. Then again, with Jack, that was entirely possible. Even after nearly ten years of marriage, there was a lot she didn't know about her husband. She also knew that Jack worked hard to make sure certain parts of his life remained secret … whether it was out of a desire to protect her, or to protect himself, Lacey wasn't sure. However, it didn't really matter. Jack kept his secrets for a reason, and she respected that truth and those reasons.

Lacey, Ianto and Jack hadn't even gotten clear of the chopper when Suzie emerged from the guard building and almost literally glomped Lacey, surprising a squeak out of the smaller woman. Her best friend was almost literally hugging the breath out of her, and when Suzie dropped her arms to grasp Lacey's shoulders, the young wife and mother thought she was safe. Big mistake, that. Suzie grabbed her shoulders and began shaking her, scolding, "Don't you ever do that to me again, Alexandra Elizabeth, you scared the shit out of me!"

"Easy, Suze … it was the Decepticons, not her. Everything go okay tonight?" Jack asked as Suzie threw her arms around Lacey once more, before releasing her and repeating the same process with Ianto. The poor kid looked even more discombobulated at Suzie's fierce hug, and made no further protests once Suzie released him and allowed Lacey to pull him over toward the guard building, while Suzie and Jack talked. Jack called after them, "You're coming home with us, Jones-Ianto-Jones, and don't try to argue with me. Lacey, take him down into the base and I'll meet you in a few minutes."

Lacey steered the shell-shocked archivist into the guard building and the elevator/lift which was hidden inside, allowing Jack and Suzie to talk in peace. She supposed she could have used the main entrance, but the hidden lift reminded her of the perception filter in Cardiff, which she missed, quite unexpectedly. As the lift began to lower, she smiled gently at Ianto, telling him, "You do what you need to in the archives … I'll make sure that Myfanwy has enough food. Just meet me in Jack's office when you're ready to go." He bobbed his head, looking more than a little numb, and Lacey added, "You're going to be all right, Ianto. In fact, while you're finishing what you need to do, I'll call my mother and ask her to meet us at the house. And just to make sure you're not further traumatized, I'll drive, rather than Jack." That provoked a tiny smile from Ianto, and Lacey rocked up onto her toes to kiss his cheek, murmuring, "You were very brave tonight, sweetheart, and I think I can speak for Jack when I say we're both proud of you."

"Thank you, but … I was terrified. It was all I could do to keep moving," Ianto murmured. She turned to face him more fully, cupping his face in her hands, just as she did in the corridor. Dear God, he was so young! Not for the first time, she wished he would let her take care of him. But her mother reminded her that sometimes, people who went through a traumatic experience couldn't allow that to happen … if they let someone else take care of them, if they let down their guard, they would fall apart. And he wasn't ready to do that, not yet. Maybe he never would be, but on that day, if that day ever came, Lacey swore she would be ready.

"Of course you were terrified, sweetheart. The mark of real bravery, of real courage, isn't an absence of fear … but being able to push past your fear to do what needs to be done. You did real good tonight, Ianto. And just so you know, I was scared out of my mind as well," Lacey replied, taking his hands and holding them between her own. The boy's hands were like ice! She was rewarded with a small smile, and before she could say anything else, they reached the bottom of the elevator. Still holding onto his hands, Lacey drew him into the main part of the base, only to be accosted by Owen. She could tell that Suzie scared the hell out of him when she told him about the attack at the convention center, because he immediately started in on Ianto. She could understand that, but attacking Ianto for that mess was not acceptable. Calling on the years she spent in Cardiff, Lacey snapped, "OI! Harper! Keep a civil tongue in your head, and stop harassing Ianto, unless you want me to unleash my mother on you!"

Owen actually stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes growing wide with horror. He put both hands up in 'surrender' and began to slowly back away. Tosh watched with amusement and confusion, asking, "Why is he so afraid of your mother? She's never been anything but kind to me, and I know Jack adores her." Lacey just smirked a little, releasing Ianto's hands and allowing him to return to his archives. Owen was staying as far away from Ianto as he could imagine, glancing over his shoulder warily at Lacey every few minutes. Good. It didn't do for him to forget that she could be scary in her own right when she wanted to be.

Satisfied that Owen wouldn't cause further trouble, Lacey put an arm around Tosh's shoulders, murmuring, "Mama is kind to everyone, and I think that's why she scares Owen so badly. No matter how badly he behaves, she never raises her voice … but that doesn't stop her from grabbing his ear and dragging him to the sink to wash his mouth out with soap when he gets out of line with anyone. She did that while you were in Denver with Jack for that conference. Don't ask me what he did or said, 'cause I don't remember exactly. I don't suppose it matters. But Mama never raised her voice, and he's been terrified of her ever since." Tosh snorted with laughter, dark eyes dancing with amusement, and Lacey continued, "Everything okay here? Is Suzie still dealing with that damn glove?"

Tosh's free arm slipped around Lacey's waist, the younger woman explaining, "It's getting worse, I think. I was actually surprised when she became so worried about you and Ianto. She's starting to worry me, Lacey. I know Jack is worried, too." Yeah, Lacey kinda got that impression. Suzie was growing more and more obsessed with that thing, to the exclusion of all else. Even her relationship with Owen, such as it was, took a hit. Suzie was drifting away from all of them, and Lacey didn't know what to do … if there was anything any of them could do to keep Suzie from drifting too far away. The young tech paused, and then asked hesitantly, "You aren't really angry with him, are you? He had to be really careful with what he told you and when." Tosh, not surprisingly, was a bit protective of Jack, given where he found her, and she hated when she was caught in the crossfire of Jack and Lacey's rare public arguments.

Understanding that, Lacey gave her a small squeeze and replied, "I know. I'm not angry with him or my father. I grew up understanding about 'classified,' and there were things my father couldn't tell us, even if he wanted to. It had nothing to do with trust, and everything to do with protecting us. But if I know Jack, which I do, I'll find out about it once we get home. Which brings me to the next thing ... we're taking Ianto home. Will you, Owen, and Suzie be all right? Jack may come back later, once we're all settled and he tells me what he needs to." But Tosh was already shaking her head.

"We'll be fine. Suzie was already staying overnight to monitor things, so don't even worry about it," Tosh replied. Lacey raised her eyebrows, smiling a little. Not worry? Her? Tosh blushed a little, adding, "Sorry, I forget that worrying is second nature to you. I'll rephrase that, then … worry about us as little as possible." Lacey smiled and kissed Tosh's forehead as she drew her 'little sister' into her arms. Tosh returned the embrace, adding, "And in case Suzie didn't tell you up top, we're all so glad you're all right! Ignore Owen, you know how he gets." Lacey snickered, giving Tosh an extra squeeze.

"No, Suzie was too focused on scolding me for being in danger in the first place," she replied with a wry smile. Tosh laughed at that, Lacey hugged her once last time before releasing her and said, "I'll let you get back to work, Toshiko, I need to call my mother and ask her to bring Corey to the house." Tosh nodded with a small smile, and Lacey made her way to Jack's office. A quick phone call to her parents' home reassured her mother that yes, she was fine, and Lacey wasn't at all surprised to learn that her father already knew about the attack, and he wasn't happy at all. Oh, no. Seriously not happy, and Mama said he would be having words with his little brother. Lacey barely bit back an 'eep.'

As she was hanging up with her mother, the hair was brushed away from the nape of her neck and a soft kiss brushed against her skin. Lacey shuddered and leaned back into her husband's arms. He whispered, breath tickling the short hairs that remained, "I didn't get a chance to tell you how glad I am that you're all right … that Ianto was able to find a hiding place for the three of you. While I was talking to Suzie, Tom Banachek called to tell me that he got Caitlin home and settled for the night. She's scared, but calming down."

"I'm glad we're okay, too," Lacey replied, nestling against Jack's chest, "And I'm sorry for my comment about closets. You didn't deserve that." She felt, rather than heard, Jack's huff of laughter, and knew she was forgiven. The pair was silent for several moments, and then she whispered, "As soon as Ianto gets here, we can go. Mama is heading over to our house with Corey … and I'm driving. And then, once the kids are settled, I want to hear everything. I've figured a few things out, but I want to hear the rest." Jack kissed the top of her head, tightening his arms around her body.

"I'll tell you everything, Lacey-girl, I promise. And then tomorrow, I'll take you to meet Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots," Jack replied. Lacey shivered, and Jack again tightened his arms around her, murmuring, "Don't be afraid, love … you'll never meet a more gentle being than Optimus Prime. He was one of my heroes when I was growing up, and blew every expectation I had of him, right out of the water." Lacey didn't doubt him … the fact that this Optimus Prime was one of his heroes as a boy told her everything she needed to know. And maybe that was why Lacey had the sense that she heard the name 'Optimus Prime' before, if he was one of Jack's childhood heroes.

Maybe.

TBC


	4. Chapter 3: First Impressions

Author's Notes: And here's another chapter … and this one pretty much wrote itself. I'm leaving for Georgia on Friday for my nieces' birthdays (Sabrina just turned seven and Melissa will be fourteen on Sunday), and I _really_ hoped to get this out before we left. Plus, there's been more activity on the job front, which spurred my writing. In this chapter, Will briefs Optimus on the events at the convention center; Lacey meets the Autobots; while Lisa worries over Ianto. I would say that the next chapter will be out soon, but the muses are unpredictable at the best of times. I hope to at least _start_ the next chapter before I leave for Georgia. (crosses fingers)

Chapter Three

First Impressions

"So, that's the extent of the information I have, Optimus. Captain Harkness arrived, helped with the rest of the clean-up, and then he went with Mr. Banachek to find Lacey, Ianto Jones, and Caitlin. They're all fine, by the way, just badly rattled. Jack said he would be telling Lacey about the Autobots once they got home … said to tell you that was one piece of advice he had no problem with taking," Major William Lennox explained. There was a low rumble, which the young major came to recognize as laughter, and the human commander of NEST added thoughtfully, "I wouldn't be surprised, too, if Lacey waits until she and Jack are safely in bed before she falls apart. Sarah was reduced to blithering when she met Ironhide, and that was under far better circumstances."

There was a brief silence as Optimus looked up the word in question, and then the Autobot leader asked with no small amount of amusement, "And what, exactly, prevented you from 'blithering' when you first encountered us, Major Lennox?" Will smiled cheerfully at the dashboard. Once the battle was finished and Jack Harkness took his wife and new hire back to the Dam in the helicopter which brought him to the convention center, Will and Bobby Epps found Optimus in the parking lot with the stated intention of briefing him. Bobby, however, was sidetracked by Tom Banachek, and Will was making the report alone.

"I was too busy running for my life and trying to figure out what the hell was going on," the young man replied, and was rewarded with a rev of the engine … another way Optimus demonstrated amusement. Will added, "And once everything was over, once I was back with Sarah and Annabelle, then I fell apart. Not just because of meeting you guys and fighting the Decepticons, but because of Mission City." He didn't tell Optimus about all the people whose deaths he caused with his bad judgment call. It wasn't really necessary. Will fell asleep in the Prime's cab more than once, and had nightmares about Mission City even now, months later.

"Indeed. Given that you have met the young lady and become friends with her, how do you anticipating Alexandra Harkness reacting tomorrow?" Optimus inquired. Will puffed out his cheeks briefly before exhaling. That was a very good question. She knew about Scorponok, and Jack told her stories about the 'Bots on his home world, three thousand years into the future. And Will's mind always threatened to shut down when he thought about that particular fact. Jack was from three thousand years in the future. Three … thousand … years. There was a very good reason certain information about Jack was shared in the briefings for new NEST members. That was something both Will and Bobby believed was absolutely necessary. People were informed that he was from three thousand years in the future and that he was a notorious flirt, as well as the fact that he was omnisexual. They were not, however, informed that he was unable to stay dead. That was something they found out in the field. Will couldn't do anything about people finding out about Jack's inability to stay dead, but he could damn well make sure they saw what those deaths and resurrections did to Jack.

"I honestly don't know, Optimus. Lacey's a bit unpredictable. You gotta figure though, she's married to Jack. She's been involved with Torchwood one way or another since they were married … before, if you count her taking out that bounty hunter when she was in college. She knows that alien life exists … but the sheer size of you guys might take her aback somewhat," Will replied. He paused, and then added, "And, I don't think it would hurt if Mikaela was there, maybe Sam, too. Or if she finds out that you consider Jack to be a little brother." Optimus hummed in response.

"You raise very good points, Major. Mikaela has assured me that her step-grandmother will not find it difficult to accept us, given what she has already accepted during her marriage to Jack," Optimus observed. Will winced. Yeah, about that … Optimus asked, sensing his discomfort, "You disagree with her estimation, Major?" The majestic voice sounded more than a little confused, and Will shook his head. Oh, no. No, he didn't disagree with Mikaela's observations at all. That wasn't the problem.

"Nope. However, I _would_ strongly recommend against referring to Mikaela as Lacey's step-granddaughter, even though it's true. Lacey's only thirty-two, with a five year old daughter, and I don't think she needs to hear anyone refer to her as a grandmother. Mikaela would probably agree with me on that, especially since she's around the same age as Lacey's youngest sister," Will answered. There was a brief silence while Optimus processed that, and Will remembered what Sarah told him when she learned that particular bit of truth. That led to a rather … interesting night. Very, very, _very _interesting night. He still wasn't sure why that particular revelation triggered his wife's libido, but he wasn't about to complain.

At last, Optimus replied, "You are quite right, Major. Very well, I have instructed the others to refrain from commenting on Mikaela's relationship with Alexandra Harkness. I had forgotten how very young Alexandra is in comparison to Jack." Will was on the point of commenting that he doubted that, until he remembered with a start just how ancient Optimus was. As best as the Autobot commander could translate it, he was activated (born) about seventeen thousand years earlier, and he was only middle-aged by Cybertronian standards. Even a human as old as Jack was, well over a century old, must seem incredibly young even to Bumblebee, much less Optimus. And Lacey, who was around the same age as Will, was even younger.

"Good idea. Okay, so that's the business at the convention center. I strongly recommend that we bring Drake Keller in, and find out what the hell he's been working on, what might have drawn the attention of the Decepticons," Will answered, steering the conversation away from the rather mind-bending reality of Jack Harkness, his young wife, and his relationship with Autobot ally Mikaela. Jack would take care of his wife and his granddaughter. Will was far more concerned with why this attack occurred … and how they could prevent it from happening again.

TWTWTWTWTW

Lacey Harkness wondered sometimes if she was a strange person … or maybe if it was her Irish heritage coming back again … but every time she or Jack had a near-miss (or Jack died), her sex drive kicked into high gear. That night, after Ianto and Corey were settled, and after Jack fulfilled his promise to tell her everything, Lacey gave herself a few minutes to think about what he told her. Really, it wasn't much more than what she figured out on her own and what she learned when the SOCCENT survivors were attacked in Qatar by the giant scorpion.

Once her worldview stabilized, she rolled over on top of Jack, pinning him to the bed, and proceeded to demonstrate just how relieved she was that they were both all right. She also demonstrated just how grateful she was that Jack had their room sound-proofed. Actually, she had a sneaking suspicion that they were both grateful for that bit of forethought. And once their passion was spent, once Lacey collapsed back against her husband's chest, he managed to breathe, "Does this mean you forgive me?" Lacey's answering laughter was a bit breathless as well, but she conveyed to him that as far as she was concerned, there was nothing to forgive.

When she woke the following morning, Jack was already up, showered and dressed. That wasn't a surprise … Jack really didn't sleep much, especially not after a night when he had the ever-living daylights scared out of him. Those nights brought back bad memories and bad dreams; and on really bad nights, she found him in their daughter's bedroom the following morning. No, what surprised her was that he was making breakfast. Of course, Jack could cook … it was just that he usually didn't do it. However, on this morning, he was doing just that, quietly requesting that she get down the plates before getting up Ianto and Corey. And that did worry her. No, not that he asked her to get the plates or wake up the kids, but that he was quiet. Jack being this quiet was as worrisome as Jack not flirting. However, she would let him tell her in his own way, and on his own time.

After she checked in on Ianto (who was awake and cleaning up in the spare bathroom), Lacey's next stop was to wake up her very grumpy daughter. For weal or for woe, Corey inherited Jack's smile … and her dislike of mornings from Lacey. Fortunately, at this point, Lacey was used to literally dressing her little girl, as well as picking out her clothes. Today, it was a pair of denim pants and a t-shirt that proclaimed she was 'Daddy's Girl.' Which she was, of course. However, Corey always protested that she was Mommy's Girl, too. Which she also was … she was also Gramma's Girl, and Grampa's Girl, and she was definitely Aunt Suzie's Girl, to say nothing of Mikaela's Girl. Lacey was seriously considering having a t-shirt that said she was Everybody's Girl, but wasn't sure if that was especially safe in this day and age. Probably not.

Nearly fifteen minutes after she left Jack in the kitchen with a swat to his butt from her dish rag, Lacey was carrying a still-sleepy and still-grumpy Corey into the kitchen and settling her in her booster chair. She brightened a little when she saw Ianto, whom she had something of a crush on (in fact, Corey whispered to her the night before that Ianto was almost as pretty as Daddy). Lacey already decided she wouldn't share that with anyone but Jack. Owen would tease the poor boy about it unmercifully, and Suzie and Tosh would make him feel uncomfortable with their knowing smiles. And Ianto was already uncomfortable, thanks in large part to his attraction to Jack … she wouldn't permit anyone to make it worse.

Breakfast was eaten, Corey was dropped off with Lacey's mother, Ianto was dropped off at the Dam (Lacey wasn't sure if she should be amused or insulted by how quickly he got out of the SUV, then decided not to worry about it), and then Jack took over the wheel. He was uncharacterically quiet once they swapped seats. She knew most of his silences by now, and this was more of '_how the hell is she going to react to what I'm about to show her_' silence than anything else. Lacey didn't know how she would react either, but there was one thing she could do to reassure her husband. She tended to get nervous when he drove with only one hand, but right now, that provided her with an opportunity. Jack's free hand rested on the console between them, so Lacey brushed her thumb lightly over his knuckles before entwining their fingers and raising his hand to her lips. That won her a sweet smile, and Lacey said softly, "Optimus Prime was one of your boyhood heroes, Jack. And you, who have encountered supposedly mythical beings and kings and queens, still revere him. That tells me all I need to know."

His answering smile was almost shy as he replied, "I just don't want you to be disappointed, Lace." She knew that. It was one of (many) reasons why he refused to tell her anything more about Prime. Although, he did tell her that '_Prime_' was his title, rather than a name. 'Prime' was derived from 'Primus,' which was the god-creator of the Cybertronians, and Lacey was curious to know if the Primes were meant to be the avatars of Primus, or it was a title similar to that of Caesar. Those questions could wait until later, although Jack assured her that Optimus had plenty of patience with questions, no matter how silly they sounded.

"I highly doubt that will happen. Besides. Maybe I'm the one who doesn't want to disappoint you," Lacey pointed out. That won her another smile. God, would there ever be a time when one of his smiles couldn't turn her into so much goo? She really hoped not. Lacey covered her reaction and went on, "It's going to be fine, Jack. Now, do you have any idea why Ianto was behaving like he had ants in his pants?" There was a soft huff, and Jack cast a sidelong look at her that almost made her squirm.

"I was thinking you might know more about that than I would," was the response and Lacey merely arched her brows at him. Jack merely smirked and added, "After all, you two were trapped for several minutes … ow!" Lacey simply rolled her eyes, before rubbing her hand up and down his thigh where she slapped him. Jack went on after a moment, struggling not to laugh, "I'm sure if it's something we need to know, we'll find out. Right now, I'm a little more worried about Suzie's obsession with that damn glove than I am with whatever crawled into Ianto's shorts." Now _that_, Lacey couldn't let pass.

"Let's not talk about anything crawling into or out of Ianto's shorts, shall we?" she observed. That surprised a laugh out of her husband, though he was watching her a bit anxiously. Lacey added, "You mean to tell me that you didn't think I'd noticed the attraction between the two of you? We've been married for nearly ten years, Jack, and I knew you for several years before then." Jack glanced at her, a bit uncertainly, and Lacey again reminded him, "I know you, Jack, and I'm certainly not going angry with you for being attracted to Ianto. He's a cute kid, and maybe once he's a little less wobbly from Canary Wharf, I'll introduce him to a few girls. Or guys. Although I think you're the only man he's ever been attracted to. Otherwise, he wouldn't be terrified by it."

There was a brief silence, and then Jack asked hoarsely, "How in the hell do you always manage to surprise me, Alexandra Elizabeth? I was there when you were born, I was the third person to hold you, I watched you grow from a little girl into a woman, and you still manage to complete shock me." Lacey offered him a smile that was half-wry and half-sheepish. Jack added, almost to himself, "I'm really looking forward to seeing you meet Optimus." Ooh. That sounded intriguing. There was very little conversation during the rest of the drive, but a companionable silence fell instead.

About thirty minutes after the two fell silent, Jack entered the parking lot of the Boulder City airport. He drew the car to a halt, turned off the engine and got out of the SUV. Lacey followed suit, keeping her questions to herself. Jack merely extended his hand to her, and when she took his hand, he led her to what was easily the largest hangar on the grounds. Her fingers tightened around Jack's, because oh my God, what could _possibly _be that huge? Jack squeezed her hand in response, and led her inside. At first glance, all she could see were several vehicles. Nothing special there, at least as far as she could tell. But as ever, that was first glance. Around the vehicles, military personnel of all branches and all nations were busy working on … something. It looked like they were holding clipboards. Off to one side, Rhys Williams was having what looked like a very serious conversation with Mikaela and an unfamiliar teenage boy … Mikaela's new boyfriend Sam, no doubt. Jack squeezed her hand again, and said, "Optimus, I've brought my wife Alexandra to meet you and the rest of the Autobots, just as I promised. Lacey, this is Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots."

He was directing his words at a semi-truck in the middle … a Peterbilt, unless Lacey missed her guess. And that was a little odd (more than a little odd actually), because in place of the Peterbilt sigil on the front grill, there was … a face? Lacey frowned, and started to step closer, but Jack grasped her arm. She started to look back at him, to ask him what was going on, when strange sounds drew her attention back to the not-Peterbilt in front of her. It was … God. The best way Lacey could think to describe what was happening was … well, it was dissolving and putting itself back together. It reminded her a bit of an oversized Rubik's Cube, only this was much bigger and much more … whoa. The former Peterbilt was at least thirty feet tall, maybe even taller (not that she intended to ask) and was in fact a robot. Or something. The robot, Optimus Prime, knelt in front of her and said, "It is a great honor to meet you at last, Alexandra. I have heard much of you from both Jack and your father." Lacey stared at it/him/whatever in shock. She couldn't even force out a squeak, her brain was too busy trying to reboot from the sensory overload. Jack's arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her back against his chest, and Lacey could only be grateful for his support.

She had never heard a voice like the one that belonged to Optimus Prime. It was warm and comforting, like a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate, and commanding, just as the leader should be. Lacey managed to squeak out, "The honor is mine, sir." The vibrations against her back informed her that Jack was having a very hard time _not_ laughing, and she had the presence of mind to step on his foot. That drew a yelp, and a low, rumbling laugh from the giant in front of her. The response of the Prime gave her the courage to say, a bit saucily, "You'll have to excuse me, sir … my husband sometimes forgets I have claws."

"How can I forget, you continuously remind me!" Jack retorted cheerfully as Mikaela, Will, and young Sam made their way over to the two of them. Mikaela was smiling broadly, and Sam looked more than a little wary, and Will … Well, Will looked like Will. He winked at her, while Rhys just waved and headed in the opposite direction. Hopefully, they'd be able to catch up later. Jack kissed the top of her head, and asked, "So? Do you forgive me for keeping all of this from you?" Lacey looked around as a black pick-up truck, a yellow Camaro, and a rescue Hummer became bipedal robots … and then looked back at her husband, bobbing her head rather frantically. He couldn't tell her about this. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. Because if unscrupulous individuals got their hands on the Autobots, they would find themselves the subject of experimentation, and Jack couldn't allow that.

However, just to drive the point home, she replied firmly, "There is nothing to forgive. Uhm … do all of you speak English?" Maybe it was a silly question, but there was no hint of amusement (okay, maybe a small hint of it) in Optimus Prime's voice as he assured her that they all spoke and understood English. Lacey nodded quickly and said, "In that case, in case no one has told you … welcome to Earth and welcome to the United States. It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Alexandra Keller Harkness, but just about everyone calls me 'Lacey.' Except my parents when I've annoyed them or my husband when I've scared the crap out of him."

"Whoa, Ratch? Please don't repeat to her what you said to Mikaela and me the first time we all met up? He's her husband, I'd be worried if they didn't want to mate with each other," the boy Sam observed as he, Mikaela, and Will reached them. Lacey arched her eyebrows as the not-Hummer huffed, and Sam added, "Sorry about that, but it's true. After Optimus introduced us to Ratchet, he sniffed at us and went, '_hmm, the boy's pheromone levels suggest he wants to mate with the female_.' Or something like that." Lacey covered her mouth with her hand, and tried very hard not to laugh. This … could get interesting. But as she listened to Sam and Mikaela talk, Lacey's eyes kept drifting to the majestic robot with the voice of a god.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

She heard his footsteps long before his shadow darkened the room that had become her world. Even so, Lisa waited until she heard the soft call of her name before she responded, "Ianto? Something happened last night, didn't it?" She was vaguely aware of his presence at her side the previous night, and he seemed agitated. No, not just agitated, truly upset, and Lisa wanted to know what happened to upset him so badly.

"Something terrible happened last night, Lisa," Ianto admitted in a low voice as he crouched beside her. Lisa wished she could touch his face, wipe away the exhaustion and the circle under his eyes. Ianto took a deep breath and explained about the attack against the function the previous night, how he and Lacey Harkness barricaded themselves inside a storage room of some kind with Tom Banachek's small daughter (whoever Tom Banachek was … although, didn't that insane little man mention a Banachek while Lisa was being settled in Hoover Dam?) until Captain Harkness arrived on the scene.

He told her how Lacey Harkness insisted that he come home with her and the captain so she could take care of him, and the way little Corey stared at him adoringly. There was a part of her which hated the captain for putting her Ianto in danger like that, but she knew better. Ianto was in danger from the moment he joined Torchwood … and if anyone put Ianto in danger, then it was whoever brought these metallic menaces down on their heads. He admitted (with no small amount of shame) that he nearly had a breakdown at the sight of these Decepticons, as they were evidently called, but Lisa saw no shame in his reaction. It seemed that the captain and his wife agreed, because Ianto added that Lacey Harkness told him that she was proud of him … that they both were. Lisa resolved in that moment that if she did manage to beat the Cybers, on the day she took back her body, she'd give Lacey Harkness the biggest hug she could. (And if she lost her battle to the Cybers, she was equally resolved to protect the American woman and her child in any way she could … and she knew that was _far_ more likely.)

When he ran out of words, he leaned his forehead against the conversion unit and Lisa wished she could run her fingers over his hair, as she did when he had a truly bad day. He would rest his head in her lap and tell her what went wrong, while she ran her fingers over his hair and massage the muscles at the nape of his neck. She wanted to do that now, she wanted to do that so much. He apologized in a muffled voice for not coming sooner, but he was more than a little lost as to where the Harkness home was in relation to the Dam. Lisa shushed him, and told him that she wasn't aware most of the time. That was only a small lie, because her 'real Lisa' moments were getting further and fewer between.

She wished she could tell him that he couldn't save her, wished he knew that at least half of what he thought she was telling him was in fact the Cyber. And she couldn't tell him that truth, because every time she tried, the Cyber took over. It was bad enough that the Cyber used her mouth, her voice, to mislead Ianto. And Ianto … Ianto didn't want to believe that she was anyone but Lisa, regardless of what she said.

Lisa continued to pet his hair, thinking of his hopes and plans and dreams for their future, the future that she would never get to see. She thought about his captain and about the captain's lady, and the little girl who had a crush on her Ianto (Corinna Harkness was only five years old and she already had excellent taste in men). She thought about the children she would never have. No one could save her. She was beyond saving. But Ianto wasn't … there was still hope for him. She just hoped that when she was lost to the Cyber, there would be enough of Ianto to piece back together.

She hoped …

TBC


	5. Chapter 4: So Many Questions

Author's Notes: Okay, I don't ordinarily do this, but I need a fangirl moment. (clears throat) I MET JOHN BARROWMAN LAST SATURDAY! (gasps for breath and regains composure) I went to DragonCon over Labor Day weekend, my fourth time there and …. oh my. In some ways, despite the abbreviated time there, it was my best yet. I also met John Rhys-Davies, who was utterly charming (spent five minutes bantering with him). I had a wonderful time, and intend to go back next year. On with the story! Quick note: the Hot Rod you meet in this chapter is _not_ like the Hot Rod we met in G1 _Transformers_. I loved that Rodi, but this Rodi has had far different experiences and thus, is a far different mech. Keep that in mind while you read this story (along with later stories). In this chapter, Lacey befuddles Optimus with a seemingly-innocuous question; a new Autobot meets his new human charge; while SecDef goes ballistic on his little brother.

Chapter Four

So Many Questions

Contrary to popular belief, Jack _was_ capable of being quiet. Maybe not necessarily fading into the background, but he had no issue with letting someone else take center stage. And right now, that was exactly what he was doing. After she got over the initial shock of meeting the Autobots, especially Optimus, Lacey was brimming with questions. Three times now, she made Will and Bobby tell her about Mission City … especially how Will took down Blackout. That seemed to be her favorite story. That, and hearing how the humans and Autobots, who never worked together before, managed to defeat the Decepticons. And she wanted to know how the Autobots came to trust the humans who now comprised NEST, especially since the only humans they'd met up to that point were Sector Seven … not exactly the most trust-worthy of allies. Reggie Simmons was still fuming over his former brother agent trying to wipe out Torchwood, although that may have been the ass-chewing he'd gotten from John Keller. It was hard to say sometimes.

Right now, though, Jack's wife was listening intently to Mikaela's account of Mission City, something she'd never been able to tell Lacey before. She interrupted very few times, unless she needed clarification about something Mikaela said, and ever so often, his granddaughter's boyfriend Sam would throw in an observation. Lacey would offer him a vague smile before returning her attention to Mikaela's narrative. But Jack recognized his wife's expression and knew that sooner or later, she would have a question. He just hoped that the Autobots were ready for Lacey's curiosity … to say nothing of the way her mind worked.

At last, she said, shaking her head, "You know, Mikaela, that was incredibly brave on your part. I don't know if I'd ever be that brave. I know, at the time you weren't thinking of yourself as brave, just as doing something that had to be done. But you were." Jack chose not to remind her of a field in Pennsylvania, where she'd done what she had to do when she was just a little older than Mikaela was (a story he'd already told Optimus). That was a story for another day. Lacey continued thoughtfully, "There's just one thing I don't understand … if Sam followed your instructions, Optimus, and shoved the Cube into your chest, you would have died, correct?"

"That was the most likely scenario, yes. I wished to spare your world from Cybertron's fate. You did not deserve to suffer for our mistakes," Optimus replied. Lacey nodded, her expression thoughtful. Jack knew that look. He leaned over and whispered to Mikaela, '_brace yourself_.' She raised her eyebrows at him, but didn't question his statement. Instead, she pulled Sam a little closer, lacing her fingers with his. The boy looked a little startled, but pleased by the contact. And here it came …

Lacey added, still looking thoughtful, "I get that, I really do … but if you were dead, who would have taken out Megatron? From what I've heard from Sam and the others, you and Megatron were evenly matched. With your death … or, I guess, it would have been deactivation … who would have protected the Earth from Megatron and his Decepticons? You were already outnumbered by the Decepticons … your second in command was dead … so that just left Ironside, Bumblebee, and Ratchet. Bumblebee was badly damaged in the attack, so that left Ironside and Ratchet." It took Jack a moment to realize what his wife said. _Oh_. Ironhide evidently hadn't caught her mangling of his name … either that, or he was warned about turning her into so much Lacey-jelly or even threatening to turn her into Lacey-jelly.

"Ironhide, Lacey … it's Ironhide, not Ironside. 'Ironside' was Raymond Burr's other well-known character, aside from Perry Mason," Will corrected, trying very hard to fight back a smile as Optimus stared down at the small human in consternation. Bobby wasn't even trying to fight back his laughter, much less a smile, and the rest of NEST looked similarly amused. Ironhide grumbled a bit about humans mangling his name, while Ratchet simply snorted in amusement. In other words, they all reacted just as Jack anticipated. For her own part, Lacey blushed, ducking her head in embarrassment. Will just patted her shoulder, adding, "And Optimus, I hate to say it, but the lady has an excellent point. We _might_ have been able to take Megatron down, or Ratchet and Ironhide, but she has a really good point."

"Indeed she does, Major, and one I am ashamed to admit I never considered. I had not thought in those terms, Alexandra … I only wished to bring an end to the war. However, you are indeed correct. And thankfully, Sam ignored my instructions," Optimus replied. And if there was still fresh grief over the loss of his brother (which there was, as Jack well knew), he disguised it admirably. After a moment, he continued, "I do not know if Jack has informed you, but I have chosen him as my younger brother. Thus, you are part of my family, my clan, as his wife. Even before these events transpired, your father asked me to appoint a guardian for you among my Autobots. I agreed, because as the daughter of the Secretary of Defense, you would be vulnerable to Decepticon attacks. However, you are part of my clan now and that requires something greater. Hot Rod, if you would come forward."

Jack suddenly forgot to breathe. Hot Rod? Optimus was appointing Rodi to protect Lacey? He began wracking his brain, trying to remember if Rodi told him anything about a girl whom he protected in the twenty-first century, but came up short. It could have been because he wasn't supposed to tell Jack (which was entirely likely, given the situation), or because Jack forgot those particular stories. It was a very long time ago in his timeline (but he really didn't think that was the case). And he knew that to Rodi, Lacey was a girl, even at thirty-two. Although Rodi was very young for an Autobot … no more than twenty-five or twenty-six in Cybertronian terms … he was still at least five or six thousand years old. And then, his old friend, whom he hadn't met yet, moved forward. In some ways, he was just as Jack remembered him, back when he had another name. Still the same color scheme, just smaller and less bulky. Then again, when Jack first met Rodi, he was Rodimus Prime, rather than Hot Rod.

Hot Rod knelt before Lacey, saying gravely in a voice that Jack could still hear in his dreams and memories, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alexandra Harkness. I am designated Hot Rod, as my sire mentioned." Only Jack noticed the slight flinch from his wife, and that was only because he _knew_ to look for it. However, he also noticed Rodi's uncharacteristic behavior. The Rodi whom he remembered was playful … responsible, but playful. This mech, however … Jack wasn't the only one to notice the unusual behavior, but Optimus didn't seem concerned. A possible explanation was that Rodi wasn't comfortable with humans (which was quite likely), and when Rodi became uncomfortable, he either behaved more like Jack or retreated … as he was now.

"Hello, Hot Rod … please, call me 'Lacey.' Only my parents and my husband call me 'Alexandra.' My parents call me that when they want to get my attention, and Jack does it when I've scared the daylights out of him. You refer to Optimus as your sire … so you're his child? His, uhm, sparkling, I think your young are called?" Lacey inquired. Jack smiled a little, exchanging a glance with Mikaela. And she was off again. But her curiosity was one of the things Jack loved most about his wife … one of many things. Besides, she ended up asking questions that the others wanted answers to, but hadn't figured out how to ask.

"I am indeed honored to have Hot Rod as my youngling," Optimus replied, prompting a quick, surprised look from Hot Rod. Hmmm … that was interesting. That was very interesting, indeed. Was there a tension between the parent and child? Jack was no stranger to that … his relationship, such as it was, with his daughter Melissa/Alice grew even more strained after she learned that his wife was only a year older than she was. Especially when she realized that he married her childhood friend Lacey. Jack had yet to tell Lacey about that particular conversation … he was all too aware of how she would react. Optimus went on, "And we shall call you 'Lacey' if you are more comfortable with that designation. I look forward to many such conversations with you." Jack barely bit back a snicker, valiantly ignoring when his granddaughter poked him in the ribs and whispered, '_behave_.' So, Optimus was looking forward to many more conversations with Lacey? Yeah, that made two of them!

TWTFTWTFTW

Humans were odd little creatures. That was one of the first things Hot Rod learned when he reached Earth only a few weeks earlier with the others. They were odd little creatures, but more than that, they defied categorization. On Cybertron before the war, mechs and femmes were created for very specific purposes, something that went back to the Quintessons (may Unicron devour them). That was most definitely not the case with humanity or any other life form on Earth. Within days of his arrival, he learned that humans were as fragile as their size indicated and very short-lived, but by the same token, they were also resilient and adaptable. In fact, they were unnervingly adaptable. The young mech he was once would have enjoyed meeting and interacting with the humans. But that mech was long gone.

To continue with his evaluation of their new allies, he heard of humans whose evil and atrocities could rival that of Unicron … and to counter that, he met humans whose capacity for compassion and loyalty overwhelmed his systems. That wasn't taking into account his sire's chosen little brother, the young-looking Captain Jack Harkness. He appeared to be no more than thirty-five or forty, very young among humans, but was in fact well over a century old. There was a story there … he hoped to hear it eventually, when Jack trusted him. Rodi had only to look at humanity's past to know that someone such as Jack would be used horribly, because of his inability to stay dead. He, of all people, knew about what humanity could do to itself and others, and yet he still protected this planet. If a human such as Jack Harkness could defend humanity so fiercely, could Hot Rod do any less?

And this brought him to Hot Rod's new charge … Alexandra Elizabeth Keller Harkness, the young wife of his 'uncle' and the daughter of their ally, Defense Secretary John Keller. She was tiny, like all humans, tiny and fragile, and yet so fearless. When he said 'fearless,' he meant it in the best possible way. She was no doubt wary of their great size, being at least a quarter of their size (if not smaller), but she was willing to stand up to Optimus Prime, of all bots, and call him on what she considered an ill-conceived idea. Looking at it from her perspective, too, she had a point. Ironhide and Ratchet might have been able to take Megatron, and they certainly would have made a valiant attempt. It was also likely that the humans would have tried to destroy Megatron, but without the Cube, it would have been difficult. No, his new charge was quite right … they stood a far better chance with Optimus than without.

And so, he studied the tiny young woman whose safety was now his responsibility. Even for a human, she was diminutive, just barely coming to her husband's shoulder (and Rodi had met other human allies who were far taller than Captain Harkness). At the moment, she lounged back against her husband's chest, his arms wrapped around her waist as his chin rested atop her head. It was an easy, comfortable position for them both, and Rodi noted the body language of those around them. Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps both watched in amusement, comfortable not just with Captain Harkness, but his wife as well. They knew her … it wasn't simply that she was known to them, but they _knew_ her … and they trusted her.

His sire told him of a recent incident involving a former Sector Seven agent, who took action against Torchwood and NEST. Captain Harkness was out of commission until the end, but Hot Rod's new charge stood against the intruder, side by side with Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps. Perhaps that was the reason for their ease with her … she was not simply a friend, but an ally, a sister-in-arms. Of course, that brought back painful memories Rodi would prefer to forget … and so, he put those memories to the side, choosing to focus on the other humans.

There was Sam Witwicky, the awkward young human who destroyed Megatron and saved the life of Rodi's father during the battle for Mission City. The boy was looking back and forth between Jack and Lacey, and Mikaela. While his senses weren't as finely tuned as those of Ratchet, Rodi could still pick up on stress levels within humans, and came to realize that the boy was uncomfortable around the captain. A brief conversation over their personal comms with his younger brother Bumblebee confirmed this, and 'Bee added that his own charge was jealous of Jack Harkness. Among humans, the captain was considered extremely attractive. Rodi found this just a bit silly, but he was still too new to humans to say so.

Besides, Sam Witwicky was his brother's responsibility, not Rodi's. He had the feeling he would be glad of that before too much longer. In Cybertronian terms, 'Bee was barely out of his teens, as humans understood aging, while Rodi was roughly equivalent to a human twenty-five year old. As he listened to Lacey ask questions of his father, brother, and the rest of the Autobots, Rodi downloaded information from the World Wide Web about human females … and mentally recoiled at the information he found there. Included was information about reproduction (which would be a concern, since Lacey was still well within her child-bearing years … and great Primus, it was _messy_!). It should be all right, so long as they didn't mate within him (which, it seemed, was popular among the very young humans) … and so long as Lacey didn't give birth inside him. The idea of his new charge giving birth to a child, to one of her young, within his chassis was enough to give him the surges. And he rolled his eyes at 'Bee's amusement when Rodi shared this with his brother over their internal comms.

According to the information he was given about Lacey in particular when his father provided him with this assignment, she was a historian … Rodi imagined that was similar to an archivist, which was what his father was at one time, before the Primes revealed him as one of their descendents. As was the case ever since the events on Betronus, so many vorns earlier, Rodi's processor nearly stalled when he thought about his sire. Arriving on Earth … receiving his sire's summoning to this planet … was the greatest and the worst thing to happen to him in a long time. And, as ever, love and guilt and rage tore at Rodi's spark where his sire was concerned. Those sentiments were even worse when thoughts of his mother Elita came into play.

But he didn't want to think of his mother, who was believed to be dead. Instead, he asked his new human to tell him about her small daughter, who was smaller than Mikaela Banes but slightly bigger than Major Lennox's infant daughter Annabelle. He was very careful to refer to her as 'human,' rather than 'squishy.' Even if she didn't take offense, he was fairly certain that NEST and her husband would. That wasn't taking into account what Ratchet and Ironhide would do to him. Lacey happily informed him that her daughter Corinna … her pet name was 'Corey,' he learned … was five years old, just starting school, and extremely bright. She was dealing with her first childhood infatuation, a young man who worked for Captain Harkness, and Rodi needed no words to understand that Corinna Rose Harkness was the greatest joy of her mother and father's lives. Once more, memories threatened to overwhelm the young mech, as he thought of a little femmeling whose very name was sunshine, and whose loss meant darkness for all who loved her … her parents, her brothers, her uncles. He begged Primus that Lacey and Jack Harkness would never know such anguish.

One thing that did confuse him … the way Captain Harkness flirted with everyone, as his wife reclined in his arms. No other humans behaved in such a way, from what he could tell, and yet Lacey seemed to take his flirting for granted. She simply smiled up at him and returned her attention to whatever conversation she was participating in. Rodi himself wasn't quite ready to ask about that. Besides, it was a mere curiosity, and not something that he was required to know.

For now, he would limit his information gathering to that which he needed to know to fulfill his duty … and naught else.

TWTFTWTFTWTF

The door to SecDef's office in NEST's administrative building was closed, and nearly everyone was given the day off. That was a good thing, as the normally even-tempered Secretary of Defense could be heard yelling through his door and down the wall. Or would have, if anyone was there to hear him. Right now, he was bellowing, "Would you like to tell me just what the hell you lot were doing? Did no one learn any lessons from our first go-round with the Decepticons, much less what happened at Canary Wharf? And don't even try to tell me that you don't know what happened at Canary Wharf, not when you attended the briefings after Jack returned from London!"

Inside the office, Drake Keller cringed as his older brother ranted and raved. Oh, he knew a lot of John's fury was fueled by terror. He also knew that his brother was as terrified for him as he was for Drake's oldest niece. However, when John was like this, Drake felt as if he was sixteen years old again and got pulled over for speeding. It wasn't exactly accurate … John was in the Army, married and a father when Drake was sixteen, but there were plenty of other times when his brother chewed him out for doing something stupid. Like, oh, say, when he told Lacey that she wasn't really in love with Jack, that it was just his pheromones? Considering they'd been married for nearly ten years, Drake kinda thought that his brother may have gotten that one right.

Still, it wasn't easy, being dressed down like he was a recalcitrant sixteen year old, not even when his brother was fully justified in both his terror and his fury. At last, John wound down and Drake sighed, "In answer to your question, I don't know why we were attacked. Yes, we were doing experiments on the parts that Reggie provided to us, and yes, I knew there was something odd about them. No, I didn't notice anything that might indicate there was a homing device, and finally, no, Reggie didn't tell me anything except that they were things I might like to study. Now, since I've accounted for everyone else in my team, can you tell me if Lacey and the Jones kid are all right?"

His brother slumped into his chair, rubbing at his eyes as he replied, "They're both fine. Tom Banachek called Jack to help with the mop-up, and they found Lacey, Ianto, and Tom's daughter Caitlin hiding in one of the maintenance closets. Jack took Lacey and Ianto home last night, and today, he's taking her to meet the Autobots." Drake left alone the question of his niece's husband for the moment to focus on the final part of his brother's statement. Ah, yes, the Autobots … the supposedly benign race of beings which brought the wrath of the supposedly evil Decepticons down on them. On the other hand, his brother actually did consider the Decepticons evil, and he did in fact face them in battle. Something he needed to keep in mind … along with the events of the previous night.

Aloud, he said, "Good. Ianto's a nice kid … I would hate it if anything happened to him. Do I have you to thank for Will Lennox only glowering at me, rather than beating the ever living hell out of me because I put his baby brother in danger?" John snorted with tired amusement and Drake finally began to relax. It was only minutely, because John was often at his most dangerous when he was like this. And he _knew_ that being the SecDef's brother wouldn't protect him if everything went pear-shaped. That was made very clear to him, many times.

"Not just me, but Jack, too … although I don't think the major really would have beaten the crap out of you. He, out of everyone, knows how quickly things can turn badly," John replied. Drake would imagine so. The brothers were silent for a long time, and then the elder said softly, "Besides, he's got too much honor to take a swing at you." Drake inclined his head … he was long past the bitterness and the overweening pride he experienced when he was first paralyzed, more than thirty years earlier. Nor would he take exception with Will's unwillingness to hit him.

The brothers were silent for several moments, as they thought over the previous night. Truthfully, Drake was still trying to make sense out of everything … mainly because as soon as all hell broke loose, he was wheeled out of the ballroom by a pair of boys from NEST masquerading as waiters. He was thoroughly ashamed of the fact that he hadn't noticed that they were from NEST, and the way Drake's luck was running, his niece probably did notice. Technically, she wasn't supposed to know about NEST, but she knew a few things about them. And all of his questions about Lacey's well-being, to say nothing of his team, were greeted with, '_I'm sorry, sir, but I don't have access to that information_.'

As if that wasn't bad enough, Jack arrived in his usual dramatic style, leveled Drake with one of his most lethal '_your ass is __**mine**_' glares, before charging into the convention center to retrieve his wife and lost lamb, looking quite heroic all the while. Drake never talked about it, but Jack actually scared the hell out of him. It wasn't just because Jack was the only man he'd ever been attracted to (or kissed while stone cold sober), but his niece's husband had a ruthless streak that occasionally horrified Drake. It terrified him even more than someone as basically gentle as his niece could love someone so ruthless. Drake asked Lacey about that once, and her answer was deceptively simple, '_I could fear him for making the choices I daren't, or I can love him for sacrificing pieces of his soul to keep me, to keep us, safe_.' That answer, once he stopped and thought about it, made him feel about two inches tall. Especially after she added, '_Do you love Dad any less, because of the choices he's had to make during the course of his career? Do you really think Dad is any less ruthless than Jack_?' Serious ouch.

The previous night, as Drake watched helplessly from the safety of the parking lot, he didn't see the ruthless leader he sometimes feared when Jack emerged from the helicopter … he saw a worried husband, who had a wife and employee trapped inside, and he didn't know where to find either of them. By the time Jack emerged with Lacey and Ianto, Drake was wheeled away, and he still didn't have any idea what happened to his niece. Getting information about his people was akin to pulling teeth … or, worse, trying to get John to talk about something that happened on one of his ops. By the time Drake was able to get answers, he was frustrated enough to take a gun from one of the NEST members himself (never mind that he had no idea how to fire a pistol … that wasn't the point).

"So. What happens now? Where do we go from here?" Drake asked, and cringed at the Look his brother sent in his direction. Oh yeah, he was still in deep ca-ca. He added quickly, "I just want a chance to clean up my mess." Even though he still had no idea how he created that mess in the first place. It was humiliating for a man over fifty to feel this way when his older brother Looked at him in a certain way. It could be worse, he realized. He could be facing off with Jack Harkness, rather than his own brother. Drake shuddered. That would have been much worse. A lot worse, even by Drake's standards.

"I don't know yet. I need to meet with Optimus once Jack and Lacey leave, and see what he has to say. In fact, I think you should come with me," John replied. All the air left Drake's lungs in a great whoosh. What? John nodded thoughtfully, his eyes distant as he continued, "Yes, I think you should definitely come with me when I meet with Optimus. You should see the Autobots as they are, instead of whatever you've dreamed up in your head." Not that Drake necessarily minded meeting alien beings, but didn't he have a choice in this? And then his brother looked at him … and Drake realized he already made his choice. Bloody hell!

TBC


	6. Ch 5: Contradictions & Conversations

Author's Notes: Okay, contrary to popular belief, I haven't given up on this story. My post-'_Miracle Day_' series, '_Birthright_,' ran away with my attention for a while, but I'm still planning out the next story in that series, so I'm switching attention back to the '_Worlds Apart_' series for a while. The last few weeks have been busy, between job interviews and jury duty, but things are quiet right now, and I intend on taking full advantage of that. In this chapter, Mikaela allows herself to (briefly) consider what might have been; Rhys learns a bit more about what it means to belong to this odd family; while Optimus considers the contradictory nature of human beings. And I don't know who was between the ages of five and twenty in 1987, but if you watched the original '_Transformers_' cartoon, you may also remember '_Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future_,' a half-hour live-action show. It is returning, which makes me very happy.

Chapter Five

Contradictions and Conversations

Mikaela Banes wished she had a camera. Not just because of the way her beautiful grandfather was smiling (and those were two words that weren't supposed together 'beautiful' and 'grandfather,' and yet they did), or the delight in Lacey's eyes as she met the Autobots, including her new guardian, or even because of the bemused expression Rhys Williams wore as he came and went through the hangar. No, she wanted a camera because someone actually managed the impossible and stumped Optimus Prime. Robots weren't supposed to show emotion, but the Autobots broke just about every rule there was (assuming there were such rules).

She never thought about Lacey's question to Optimus, really … at the time, she was a bit too busy running for her life, and then trying to get Bumblebee to safety, and then driving while the damaged Autobot assisted the soldiers who later formed the core of NEST. Later, she was simply too grateful to be alive … and still later, she was reeling from the revelations about her family (read: Jack). But, when she thought about it, Lacey had a very good point. What would have happened if Sam listened to Optimus and pushed the Cube into his chest, rather than Megatron's? Mikaela shuddered. Oh yes, the other Autobots would have done what was necessary to bring Megatron down, but it would have been much, much harder. Beside her, Sam was muttering under his breath, though that could have just as easily been because Jack was there. Her new boyfriend was extremely wary of her newly-discovered grandfather. Never mind that he was related to Mikaela, Sam was not comfortable with Jack … something that the tall, handsome man standing beside her understood and accepted. It was one of many things about Jack that she loved.

"How are you, lass?" Rhys Williams asked softly. Mikaela blinked as the pleasant Welshman seemed to appear out of nowhere, and he added with a rueful smile, "I think I've been around the 'Bots too long … I'm learning to walk softly. Figured that Lacey's questions brought some memories back for you." Mikaela smiled up at him. He really was a _nice_ man. Rhys described himself as stolid and ordinary, but he was a nice man who quietly adopted Mikaela as his own niece. He knew that her father was still in prison, and said a young girl needed someone to watch over her. Jack was a good man, he admitted, but he couldn't always be there, and he had a young daughter who needed him as well. Right now, the only people who needed Rhys were the 'Bots and NEST. He was looking forward to his girlfriend Gwen's visit, which would be later in the month, and a bit nervous about how to deal with her time in the States.

"I'm fine, Rhys, but thanks for asking. I was just … I was just thinking about what would have happened if Sam did what Optimus wanted, rather than what he actually did. I don't know if we would have survived losing Optimus … something I never thought about before, and it scares the daylights out of me," Mikaela replied. Sam's fingers tightened around her own, and Rhys looked sympathetic, but not particularly concerned. She didn't blame him, though. He heard about Mission City after the fact, and his primary contact among the 'Bots was Wheeljack. She couldn't expect someone who wasn't there to understand. It was impossible. Hell, it was hard enough for her to understand, and she lived through it.

But she was only half-right. He advised, "Best not to think about that, 'Kaela. It didn't happen, Sam listened to his own instincts, rather than to what Optimus had to say. You'll drive yourself mad if you think about the what-might-have-beens. Lacey can do that, 'cause it's her job as a mum and to help Jack. But you? You focus on what's ahead of you and on your schoolwork." Well, Mikaela could hardly argue with _that_. And Rhys was right, she knew he was right. But still … Mikaela rocked onto her toes and kissed Sam's cheek, making him blush. Rhys added, "Good job, Sam. You did real good."

Sam's blush darkened and he mumbled, "I was angry, I guess, not even really thinking about what I was doing. I mean, Megatron was threatening to make me his pet, he saw us as insects, and I just thought, '_you want this so badly? Then I'll give you what you want_.' That's something that my mom always used to say, 'be _careful what you wish for, 'cause you might just get it_.' I knew Optimus was willing to die for us, but I didn't see why he should have to." And that summed up her boyfriend. He wasn't super strong or super tough, but he did what had to be done, he never gave up … and he believed in her. Aside from Jack and Sam, Mikaela couldn't think of any men who believed in her, ever. Maybe SecDef Keller, too, but she wasn't as sure about that.

"You don't have to explain yourself to us, Sam. And I know Optimus is grateful for the choice you made. You risked your own life to bring Megatron down … a boy of sixteen. Says a lot about you, I think," Rhys replied, putting his hand on Sam's shoulder. He actually beamed and seemed to stand a little taller. Mikaela smiled at Rhys, and hoped that his girlfriend knew just how lucky she was to have him, because Rhys saw people. Not their faces, not their colors, not their body shapes, he saw _them_.

"Indeed it does," came the majestic voice of Optimus Prime, and Sam turned even redder. But he smiled up at Optimus, and Mikaela couldn't help sharing another smile with her grandfather. Jack leaned over, arms still wrapped around Lacey, and kissed the top of Mikaela's head. The girl nearly crossed her eyes, trying to look up at him, something that always made him laugh. Optimus continued, "And as I understand it, Lacey, you spoke an untruth earlier, when you said that you couldn't imagine the courage it required for Mikaela to return to the battle. I have heard a story from Jack, in which a twenty-one year old college student picked up a weapon even larger than herself when a dear friend, who later became her husband, was badly injured." By 'injured,' Mikaela was sure that Optimus meant 'dead.' She was also sure that she'd never heard this story before. That certainty grew when Lacey blushed.

"Now this is a story I've never heard before … have you been holdin' out on me, Lacey?" Rhys teased, his smile broadening as Lacey's face turned steadily redder. He yelped when she swatted his arm, and grumbled under his breath. He added, "See that, Jack, your wife is abusin' me!" Everyone laughed at that … but Jack still began the story in question, as only Jack could. She supposed she could resent her grandfather for being whom and what he was … but really, what was the point? And she liked, as well as loved, Jack, just as he was.

TWTFTWTFTWTF

For whatever reason, Rhys Williams never heard the story about the alien bounty hunter who badly injured (which meant killed, more than likely) Jack … and whom Lacey proceeded to take out with a gun that was apparently bigger than she was. Rhys couldn't see Lacey's expression for most of the story, because she buried her face in Jack's shoulder. While he wanted to tease her about it, he also knew that like Rhys himself, she didn't enjoy the spotlight. Still, it was a good story, and he noticed that the 'Bots were hanging on every word.

He thought about what that would have meant for a twenty-one year old girl, who only a few minutes earlier was enjoying a birthday celebration with a dear friend (a dear friend she had romantic feelings for even then, since she fell in love with Jack when she was seventeen). Rhys wondered if she ever resented Jack, for putting his work before her … on that night or any other. According to Sarah Lennox, who had become a very good friend since he met her, there might be some resentment, but it was small. As she said, like Sarah herself, Lacey knew what Jack was when she married him. Not just the immortal part, but she knew that he was becoming Torchwood, and that Torchwood was him. Only the hopelessly immature married someone with a higher duty and then resented them because they couldn't come first.

Besides, Lacey was a military brat … she was used to such things. John Keller was in the United States Army long before he was Corinna's husband or Lacey's father. Rhys had to admit that was true. To his friend, this was normal. And he wasn't sure how he felt about that. From his perspective, Lacey lost out on so much, she lost out on a childhood like his own. He knew better than to say that out loud. He did that once, and while Lacey didn't lose her temper, it was pretty obvious to him that he'd disappointed her.

In that painfully gentle voice she used when she was upset and didn't want anyone to know it, she told him that although yes, she did miss out on the things that Rhys knew while growing up, she was compensated in other ways. She was able to see and experience things that only a handful of people her own age got to do. And if her father wasn't military, she likely would have never met Jack … and that was compensation in and of itself. Rhys didn't argue, sensing that he would cross a certain line if he did that. Besides, as he just told Mikaela, thinking about such things was a waste of time. But he still ached for the things she missed out on.

He supposed that's why he took Mikaela under his wing. She was losing out on a great deal as well, although for vastly different reasons. And Jack did his best, but he had a young family of his own. So, Rhys appointed himself as Mikaela's surrogate uncle. He guessed that she wasn't entirely honest about her exact relationship with Jack, but given Rhys was keeping a few secrets regarding the (sort-of) immortal, he wouldn't push. Besides, he was kept too busy to push. While the 'Bots had holograms they used (Optimus utilized the hologram of a man in his late sixties with hair that was still dark, a mustache, and kind eyes, for instance), there were times when they required a human 'driver.' Since he was a lorry driver already, he was the one usually chosen to be Optimus Prime's 'driver.'

The commander of the Autobots said now, his voice reflecting that same kindness, "Are you sure you have no familial ties to Lacey, Mikaela? That sounds very much like something you would do." Mikaela, who was staring at Lacey in admiration, shook her head vehemently. Optimus corrected, "Oh yes, it is, Mikaela. You and Lacey are very much alike, far more alike than you are different. How long did you wait for Jack to regain consciousness, youngling?" By now, Rhys came to realize that while 'youngling' was akin to a teenager among the Cybertronians, Optimus also used it as a term of affection. NEST and others called him 'Papa Bot,' and he called them 'younglings.'

"I honestly don't know, Optimus. I was in shock, I think, and I lost track of time. I just sat there against the car, with Jack's head and shoulders in my lap, and waited for him to wake up. And even though I was still in shock, once he awakened, I was still more steady on my feet than Jack was, so I drove us out of there. Whatever happened to that body, Jack? Did Clay take care of it, like he said he would?" Lacey asked, shifting herself enough to look up at her husband. He nodded with a small smile, and Lacey continued, "By the way, he came to our wedding … not to the civil ceremony, but to the hand-fasting."

The Bots' optics dimmed, as it always did when they were checking out an unfamiliar term, and then Hot Rod observed, "Hand-fasting … an antiquated way of exchanging vows when a priest or minister is unavailable. Other forms of the same include '_jumping the broom_.' But there are many priests and ministers available in this time and place, Lacey … why did you choose hand-fasting?" That … was a very good question. He knew from prior conversations that she was a Catholic, so why wasn't she married in the Church?

"It was the most sensible thing to do," Lacey replied, shrugging a little. The most … sensible … thing to do? How did she figure that? She sighed, exchanged a look with Jack, and explained, "One thing about Jack's organization … it's as unpredictable as police work and every bit as dangerous. If we'd gotten married in the Church, Jack and I would have needed to attend pre-Cana meetings, meetings that Jack might not have been able to attend. This was more sensible."

Put that way, Rhys couldn't argue with her. Still, it sometimes seemed as if Lacey did all the giving in that relationship, as if she was making all the sacrifices. Optimus rumbled, "That was a generous thing, indeed, to do. I am sure that Jack not only appreciated the gesture, but reciprocated when he was able." Rhys knew that he wasn't the only one who wondered about the nature of Jack's reciprocity when light chuckles broke out among his brothers and sisters in NEST. Sam blushed, and Mikaela face-palmed.

"Mind out of the gutters, if you please … there's more to my relationship with Jack than sex, thank you very much," Lacey chastised gently, and Rhys was amused by the 'sorry' that ran around the room from the younger NEST members. She continued after a moment, "And you're absolutely right, Optimus. Jack reciprocates in whatever way he has available at the time. Besides, he tried to talk me out of it, reminding me that I'd always wanted a big Church wedding and the wedding Mass. I won that argument, and I got Jack in the bargain. I'd say I'm the big winner." She looked absurdly pleased with herself and Jack beamed down at her.

"Captain Harkness, I would advise you to take your wife to the nearest isolated room, as both of your pheromone levels have reached dangerous levels," Ratchet observed as the gaze between the pair grew heated. Jack looked up at Optimus, who hummed at him, and then scooped Lacey into his arms and headed toward the old hangar office. Ratchet added when Sam groaned, "It was either offer that advice, Sam, or I fear that the captain would have taken her right here in front of everyone." Oh. Well. Put like that … well, as much as Rhys liked them both, he really didn't want to see … _that_. Especially not with Gwen's visit so close.

"And thank God, someone thought to pull the drapes in there. Probably Lacey. Jack doesn't mind giving people a show," Major Lennox observed, before calling, "Okay, everyone, back to work. Rhys, good job on that project of yours. Wheeljack is doing much better. Apparently, whatever you did was equivalent to removing an irritant. He wanted me to convey his thanks." Rhys bobbed his head, smiling, and watched as the other members of NEST dispersed to continue their training. The major added, ambling over to join Rhys, Sam and Mikaela, "By the way, Sarah said to tell you 'thank you' as well. She made that lasagna using your recipe and they loved it." They? Oh, right … Sarah Lennox mentioned that there was a family in town who were struggling and she sometimes took dinner over to them.

"Glad to hear it. Tell her that she's more than welcome … and not to share that recipe," Rhys murmured, winking at Will as he did. He was rewarded with a broad grin, and with a gentle kiss to Mikaela's raven hair, headed back to work. As he walked, he thought about the encounter he just witnessed. Rhys still thought of himself as a simple lorry driver, but NEST and Torchwood were both changing the way he saw himself and the way he saw the world. It especially changed the way he saw the world. His parents noticed it in the letters he wrote back home. So did Banana Boat and Dafydd. Gwen, though …

What would Gwen see, when she came for her visit? Her emails reflected her disenchantment with being a police officer, something she'd wanted for such a long time. She was really looking forward to her visit … there were so many things she wanted to see in the States, and could they go to Los Angeles? She'd always wanted to go to California. Oh, and Hoover Dam (Rhys smiled when he read that) and Las Vegas. Her mum told her that she couldn't go to Las Vegas without seeing a show.

Rhys told her that he wasn't sure about the so-called City of the Angels, but Hoover Dam and Las Vegas would be very easy to arrange. There were so many things he wanted to show her, and even more things he wanted to show her, but couldn't. In that moment, he remembered his conversation with Lacey, remembered the decision he made after learning that Jack was immortal/couldn't stay dead, and he understood. There were sacrifices you had to make, there were times when you couldn't put the people you loved first … because if you put them 'first,' you created a far worse disaster. Claiming to put those people first, you were really putting them last. Rhys shook his head at the contradiction, and went back to work. Those questions were for people like Optimus Prime and Jack Harkness … not Rhys Williams.

And _maybe_, if he kept telling himself that, he would start to believe it.

TWTFTWTFTWTFTWTF

One of the first things Optimus Prime learned when he and his Autobots arrived on Earth was how very contradictory human beings were. They were incredibly fragile, but just as resilient. They could be extraordinarily selfish, and at the same time, breathtakingly compassionate. And as he told the Autobots who remained among the stars, like the Cybertronians themselves, there was more to the humans than what met the eye. A matter of weeks after the Battle of Mission City, Optimus downloaded the 'Lord of the Rings' movies and books from the internet, following a conversation with John Keller. As a result, he understood quite well when Gandalf told Frodo that one could learn everything there was to know about Hobbits, and still be surprised by them. That was every bit as true of humans as it was of Hobbits.

At first glance, for instance, there was young Mikaela Banes. There were many who would have written her off, because she broke the laws of her society … or even because she was considered exceedingly comely. That would have been a mistake. She was a truly courageous young girl, and Optimus believed that she would become an even more formidable woman as the years passed and she matured. Sam was another whom it would be unwise to underestimate, as the Prime's own brother found out too late.

By the same token, one could make the mistake of putting the NEST soldiers into a box by assuming they were all 'stupid soldiers.' Optimus encountered humans who couldn't believe that Will Lennox's strongest desire, after the Battle for Mission City, was to hold his newborn daughter for the very first time. He honestly didn't understand why it was so hard for them to believe … Will was one of the most compassionate people he'd ever met. By the same token, these same people were rendered incoherent with shock when they saw Bobby Epps playing with his own children. People were rarely simply one thing or another … just as Cybertronians were far more than what they appeared to be.

Jack was far more than he appeared at first glance, and like his granddaughter, was underestimated because he was considered highly attractive. He allowed people to do this, not just because of his attractiveness, but also because of his flirtatious nature. It was assumed that because he was playful and flirtatious that he didn't take things (such as his commitment to his wife) seriously. Optimus wouldn't pretend to understand human relationships, but he did understand that humans, as a whole, were extremely complex. Jack Harkness was in some ways one of the most complex humans Optimus met thus far. As Monique Epps summed it up once, Jack was equal parts outrageous flirt, bad-ass soldier, and lost child. And then, there was the matter of his wife.

Lacey Harkness was a quiet young woman whose main interest in life seemed to be caring for her husband and their young daughter. But Optimus would have been wrong if he assumed there was nothing more to her than that (which, praise Primus, he hadn't). At the age of twenty-one, with only the training she received from her father and her future husband, she took down an alien bounty hunter she never encountered before, a bounty hunter looking to collect the bounties for a former Companion of the Doctor and a college student who likely would become important. And this was done with a gun that was larger than she was. He had to admit, that sounded like something Elita would have done, especially while she was still Ariel.

As ever, thinking of his beautiful, lost Elita caused his spark to ache, and he quickly turned his mental processor to other things, before he could think of his other lost femme, his precious Sunburst. He wondered if his femmeling could ever forgive him for failing to kill her murderer. More than likely, she would. In the days before she was taken from them, it was becoming apparent that while she had the physical appearance of Elita, she had his spark. Perhaps sensing his darkening mood, Ironhide grumbled, "I still can't believe she got my name wrong. Ironside, indeed!" He gave another disgusted huff. Optimus looked at his long-time friend, and protector since he was a very young sparkling, with no small amount of amusement. At least he didn't 'offer' to show his cannons to Lacey … although the repercussions from _that_ may have been interesting.

"It's a _compliment_, 'Hide," Epps observed from his position on the walkway, "I was pretty little when that show was airing in re-runs, and that character was a bad-ass. I always thought Ironside was cooler than Perry Mason, anyhow." Ironhide continued to grumble, but that didn't stop Epps from winking at Optimus. The young sergeant wandered away, continuing to trade insults with Ironhide, who walked alongside the walkway. Truly contradictory, human beings were. But Optimus was finding that he would want them no other way. He was grateful to Sam for the choice he made, but he would consider it an honor if his spark was extinguished while protecting a human.

'_Hopefully, that is a long time away, Papa Bot_,' Bumblebee said on the internal comm. Optimus was amused that his youngest picked up on the NEST nickname, and then realized that Bumblebee addressed his thoughts. His youngling continued, '_Ratchet picked up on what you were thinking and told me over the comms. And as I said, we hope that day is a long way away. We still need you. All of us still need you, especially Hot Rod._' Especially Hot Rod? Optimus wasn't so sure of that. His first-born was still so angry with him, and Bumblebee stressed, '_**Especially **__Hot Rod. Hot Rod, more than everyone else, because of what happened. His anger is borne of guilt, and he has never dealt well with guilt. Worse even than you_.'

'_That is to say, he lashes out when he feels guilty, while you brood_,' Ratchet pointed out. Optimus would have vented in exasperation, but he knew that if he protested that he didn't brood, Ratchet would provide proof of his claim. Before he was a doctor, he was a senator, and there were times when that part of his past was apparent. Ratchet added, '_And don't even think about denying your tendency to brood, Optimus, I've known you since you were a youngling_.' What he didn't say was that his tendency to brood was something that his predecessor and sire, Sentinel, often chastised him about while he and Megatron were growing to maturity.

While he understood the roots of his brother's contempt for humanity, based on Sector Seven, he also believed that his brother was wrong. He _knew_ Megatron was wrong. And while Megatron could no longer hurt anyone, there were still Decepticons out there. Optimus would protect humanity until his spark was extinguished and the light died from his optics. Because of all things, humanity was _worth_ it.

TBC


	7. Chapter 6: A New View

Author's Notes: Oh, I wish the muses were like this all the time! Hope everyone has had a great weekend. I have, and have a lot to look forward to this coming week. The job boards have been quiet, so I'm hoping it explodes this week. In this chapter, Lacey reacts to the meeting she just had with the Autobots; Suzie continues to struggle with her growing obsession with the Resurrection Gauntlet; while Drake and his team try to figure out where they went wrong.

Chapter Six

A New View

In the end, they spent nearly three hours at the temporary Autobot base as Lacey got to know most of the Autobots currently on planet. Jack quietly noted his wife's reactions to each Autobot, from Optimus Prime to the front-liner Sideswipe to the 'idiot twins' to the reserved Prowl. And, of course, Hot Rod himself, once they returned to the others … although, at that point, she was clinging to Jack, because her legs were still wobbly. Eventually, they had to leave … he to Torchwood, and she to their daughter. She sounded just like an excited child as they departed from the former office within the hangar. Jack cast an affectionate smile at his wife as she swung his hand, all but skipping at his side. Ever so often, he would see glimpses of the little girl whom he helped to raise, glimpses that reminded him just how much he missed that child. And then, she would press against him in a certain way, and he would find himself very glad that she grew up. Still. She was awfully cute like this. He could tell from the indulgent smiles of some of the older members of NEST that he wasn't the only one who felt that way.

As they buckled up inside the SUV, Lacey settling her purse between her feet in the floor, Jack asked, "So … you forgive me for keeping this from you?" She hit him with one of her '_are you serious_' looks, and he laughed, adding, "Can't blame me for asking. I know that you're no stranger to classified, but I wouldn't have blamed you for wanting more information sooner. You and Ianto might have been better able to protect yourselves if you were at least a little familiar with the Autobot-Decepticon war before you headed to the function last night." Surprisingly enough, Lacey shook her head.

"I don't think so, Jack. I don't have the experience to fight a Decepticon, not even a little one, and right then, my responsibility was to get Caitlin to safety. I'm not sure about Ianto … you saw the poor kid when he realized what was trying to get at us. He's still reeling from Canary Wharf. Besides … whoa. Is it my imagination, or is Hot Rod following us?" she inquired as they left the air field. Jack glanced into the rear view mirror, smiling a little as he saw the exact same thing his wife did. He nodded and Lacey continued, sounding a little lost, "I knew that he was assigned to protect me, but I figured that he would start tomorrow."

"Nope … his assignment began as soon as Optimus placed you in his care. He'll follow us at a safe distance, just to make sure no Decepticons are in the area. He's your protector now, and he would rather have his spark extinguished than see any harm come to you, for any reason," he replied. Lacey nodded, looking a bit troubled, and Jack asked, "What is it, sweetheart? I know that look." She flashed a rueful smile toward him, but her eyes remained troubled, and Jack repeated, "What's wrong? I know it's not having a protector … that's been necessary for most of your life. Is it the fact that it's Hot Rod?"

"No … it's not that. Like you said, that's pretty much standard. Even when I didn't want one while I was growing up, I had a protector. No, it was a weird vibe I kept getting from Hot Rod. I know that Optimus is his father, but he gave Optimus a really weird look. You know what I'm talking about?" Lacey asked and Jack nodded. Yeah. Yeah, he knew exactly what she meant. She continued after a moment, kicking off her shoes and drawing her knees up to her chin, "But that wasn't all of it. The Cybertronians, they're robots, essentially. How is it possible that I was able to pick up on … well, on that? I shouldn't have been able to do that." Ah. That. Jack allowed himself a small smile, and Lacey asked, "You know the reason, don't you?"

"I have a few ideas," Jack admitted, "but mainly, while it's true that the 'Bots are robots, they are sentient robots with emotions. They don't have the same emotional cues that human beings have, but you can still figure out their mood, even without them saying a word. Optimus is basically a very gentle mech, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a temper. He is _very_ capable of getting very angry, and equally capable of making you aware that he's angry. When you really need to worry is when he's in his alternate mode, and won't acknowledge you. At that point, you proceed with caution. Not because he'll squish you … but he can make you very, **very** sorry for crossing a line with him."

And because it was Lacey, who had known him since she was a very little girl, his wife couldn't leave that alone. (In truth, Jack would have been disappointed if she let that pass, since he left her an opening a mile wide.) She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly, the corners of her mouth quirking, "Find that out the hard way, did you?" Jack responded with his most innocent expression (not that he expected her to believe it) and his wife's laughter filled the SUV. Grinning, he reached over to squeeze Lacey's hand, and was rewarded when she moved that hand to rest on his thigh. She observed, "I gotta admit, despite Mikaela's boyfriend's warning, I never expect the medical 'Bot … Ratchet, right? I never expected Ratchet to comment on our pheromone level … didn't expect my own reaction, either. But the hangar office was quite handy. Did you scout that out ahead of time?"

"Would I do that?" Jack teased and Lacey rolled her eyes at him, sliding her fingers to the inseam of his trousers, before sliding down to his knee. Oh … _oh_, he married a dangerous woman! Lacey flashed a wicked grin at him and he gasped, adding, "You know, not that I'm complaining, but you might want to be careful … keep that up and we won't get to where we're going. I'll have to pull over and have my way with you in the SUV." Her fingers trailed up a little closer to his package, which drew a muffled moan. His fingers tightened on the steering wheel almost convulsively. _Oh_, she wasn't playing fair at all. That was fine. He didn't play fair, either, much less when it came to love.

"Oh, let's just say I'm testing your self-control. If you can get us to the Dam safely, without having an accident … of any kind … I'll let you chase me into the conference room. Think you're up for it?" she returned, smirking at him a little. Jack's breathing quickened. Oh. Oh, he taught her a little too well. However, he wasn't about to let her know that. Instead, he offered his most wicked grin, and she caught her breath in turn. Of course, that led her fingers further up, Lacey saying a bit breathlessly, "That's not an answer, Jack. So … do you think you can get us safely to the Dam without having an accident? The stakes are high, after all."

"Is that a challenge, Alexandra Elizabeth?" Jack asked hoarsely. He was an absolute sucker for a challenge. Among other things, something his wife learned very early in their marriage. Lacey merely smiled slowly, in a way she knew would raise his temperature … and her fingers just kept up their maddening caresses. They kept moving up and down, coming oh so close to where he really wanted them to be, but never quite reaching their destination. Jack mentally calculated how far they were from the Dam, and how quickly they would get out of traffic … at which point, he could floor it. _Oh yes_. Yes, he could definitely manage that.

"You're incredibly smart, Jack … you always have been. You knew the best route to take when I was nineteen and we were trapped at the skating rink where I worked … and you realized what the next step was when I was almost killed in that explosion. So … what do you think?" Lacey inquired huskily. Oh. That tore it. It was _on_. As soon as traffic cleared, Jack hit the gas. The increase in speed threw Lacey back a little in her seat, but that challenging little smile never left her face. If there was anything Jack loved as much as naked hide and seek (which Lacey flatly refused to play in the Hub or in the Dam), it was the opportunity to chase his wife into the conference room. Lacey always made it incredibly … rewarding.

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She was close … she was so close to finding the answers, to unlocking what this would do, what it could do. She was so, so very close to understanding about life and death and to controlling where that line could be found. There was a part of her which was screaming at her that she needed to pull back, needed to stop this before she went too far … a part of her that understood she would hurt people who didn't deserve to be hurt. But that part was getting smaller and smaller as the days passed, with every hour she spent on this. She was at work early this morning, feeling restless and out of sorts after the Decepticon attack the previous night.

Long after Jack and Lacey left, taking the shell-shocked Ianto with them, Suzie remained. Even though it was Tosh's turn to remain at the Dam overnight, Suzie stayed … she said it was to keep Tosh, who was also worried about their friends, company. That was only part of it, of course, and she pretended not to care when Owen left to go on the pull. At least until she started working on the glove … at which point, that was the only thing she could think of. Tosh finally shooed her out around one thirty in the morning, when it took Tosh five or six times just to get her attention. She almost tore into Tosh for interrupting while she was working … she was so close to a breakthrough, so very close! But then, she saw the worry in the other young woman's eyes and tamped down on her frustration. And so, she gave the other girl a hug, before leaving … and quietly swore to herself that she would be back after she got a few hours of sleep.

Suzie also realized that the people closest to her were getting worried about her. It wasn't just Tosh (although, she should have realized, when Tosh needs to hurry you out of the Dam, it was long past time to go home), but Jack and Lacey as well. Owen didn't really notice, and who knew what went on behind Ianto's pleasant mask? She regretted that, regretted that they were so worried about her, but they would understand when she unlocked the secrets of this thing. There was so much good they could do with the information she could glean from her project. She just had to keep working at it, if only to demonstrate to Jack that they were making progress. Her boss and friend wanted her focus on something that would actually benefit humanity. But what if, heaven forbid, something happened to Lacey … and using the gauntlet, Suzie could bring her back? Jack would see the benefits of the work she was doing right now.

The second in command of Torchwood America would cut off both hands before she would do anything to harm Lacey. That was her best friend … not just her best friend, but the wife of her boss, and the mother of an adorable little girl (a little girl not so different from the child Suzie was, once upon a time). Suzie recoiled at the idea of harming Lacey, and, by extension, Corey. But she had to do something, had to demonstrate to Jack that the gauntlet would be beneficial to humanity. She took it as far as she could go with what she had available, and that meant it was time to start testing it on live subjects. And that? That would cause a problem.

There weren't many rats in the Dam, unless you went into the maintenance tunnels that were too small for Myfanwy. On the other hand, there were quite a few small animals in the desert she could use. And while Jack banned people from taking artefacts from the Dam (a policy in place in Cardiff as well), it would be easier to sneak the gauntlet out than to try to sneak those small animals in. For one thing, Myfanwy would sniff it out and for another, the smell would alert her colleagues that something was amiss. So. Sneaking the gauntlet out was the best option.

From her workshop, she could hear her best friend's laughter as Jack and Lacey returned to the Dam. It occurred to her that if she could demonstrate (there was that word again) to the married couple that she was in control, that would go a long way in reassuring them both that she really was fine, that there was no need for them to worry about her. After all, shouldn't Lacey be more concerned with the revelations about the Autobots and about her daughter than Suzie? Suzie was a grown woman, not a five-year-old child. Yes. Yes, she needed to reassure them that she was all right, that she had everything under control.

She also wondered if it was yet time to play another card … what she discovered about what Ianto Jones was really doing when he claimed to be in the archives. Suzie was torn about what to do about the Cyberwoman currently inhabiting the base. Part of her wanted to tell Jack, because unlike the gauntlet, the Cybers were truly dangerous. Another part of her sympathized with the kid and wished she could help him, while still another wanted to use this to her advantage. Suzie was vaguely aware that there was a time when thinking like that would have horrified her. But the gauntlet opened her mind up to so many things.

For now, she would let Ianto Jones keep his secret. He might be more useful to her if he was unaware that she knew the truth about him and his dear Lisa. Yes. For now, she would let him keep his secret, but if his Cyber-girlfriend placed the others in danger, she would go to Jack herself and tell their boss the whole truth … and let him sort out what to do about Ianto Jones. It was too bad. She liked the kid, she really did. But she wouldn't allow his misguided certainty that he could save his girlfriend endanger the people she loved. If she was aware of the double standards, she would never admit it to herself. After all, there was no way the gauntlet could ever harm the people she loved, so there couldn't possibly be a double standard.

Suzie left her work station, smiling as Jack chased Lacey into the main section of the Dam, her laughter ringing out merrily. Tosh looked up briefly, a smile crossing her face, before returning her attention to her work. Lacey ran full-tilt into Suzie's arms, which halted the game. Suzie was never entirely sure of the rules … just that if someone else caught Lacey, the game was halted until she took off running again. Lacey's eyes shone as she chirped, "Time out, Jack! Can you control yourself for a few more minutes?" As she teased her husband, she hugged Suzie tightly, and with her best friend's arms tight around her body, it seemed as if the thoughts she had while working on the gauntlet were just from a terrible nightmare. The gauntlet was nothing more than steel and metal, but the living body in her arms was flesh and bone and blood, and so very warm.

"Lacey, Lacey, Lacey … you should know by now not to challenge me, m'love," Jack taunted, his blue eyes mentally undressing Lacey even now as he stalked into the main part of the Dam. Suzie kissed the top of her best friend's head (was Lacey always this tiny? Or did she seem even more fragile, with Suzie staring into eternity? Could Suzie and Jack protect her from the debris that came through the Rift in Cardiff, could they protect her from the Decepticons), and Jack continued, "It seems that our Lacey made quite the impression on Optimus … he's chosen his older son, Hot Rod, for her protector."

"What did she do, grab him by the audio?" Owen questioned as he joined them, hitching his hip onto one of the desks. Suzie pulled back to look at Lacey, and the two women rolled their eyes in unison. Yeah, like that was especially likely! Owen continued, smirking a little at the two women, "Well, she is her mum's daughter … oi, Tea-boy!" Suzie bit back a smile at the bland expression on the young Welshman's face when he bumped into Owen … to say nothing of Owen's outraged expression. Yes, she would definitely leave Ianto alone, for the moment at least. Owen returned to his post, muttering under his breath about annoying tea-boys and mad women married to his boss, and other things she couldn't quite make out. Suzie released Lacey, allowing the game to continue. Jack, as ever, gave Lacey a slight advantage while she started to run once more, giggling all the while.

He used those minutes to murmur to Suzie, "You have everything under control here? You can keep Ianto and Owen from strangling each other?" Suzie responded with a mock-glare. Seriously, he didn't think she could keep those two boys under control? He should know her better than that! Jack smiled and kissed her forehead, murmuring, "Thanks. If they're still at it in fifteen minutes, come get me." He smirked at her, before chasing after his wife. Fifteen minutes, was it? She was sure that she could keep those two out of trouble for fifteen minutes!

TWTFTWTFTWTF

In the weeks after Mission City, when it became clear to the United States government (especially Secretary of Defense John Keller) that the Autobots were here to stay … and that they sacrificed their one chance to revitalize their world to save humanity … the offer was immediately made to turn Hoover Dam into an Autobot base. The offer was gently turned down … it was a rare moment when Optimus Prime was permitted to be a father before the commander of the Autobots, and his sparkling was tortured in Hoover Dam. Never mind that Bumblebee would be remaining with Sam Witwicky … it was the principle of the thing. John could not have tolerated being in a place where his daughters, son-in-law, or granddaughter were harmed, and it was no different for Optimus. So he told his boss, who agreed.

And so, control of the interior of Hoover Dam was turned over to Torchwood America, headed up by SecDef's son-in-law. Jack only needed the first level for his team, aside from the former observation room (and equally former birthing room) … the rest of the Dam was utilized by the Tantalis Institute, run by John Keller's younger brother. There was some inter-agency cooperation, partly because they were sharing the same space and partly because Drake's niece was capable of just about anything. There was a time, shortly after the two agencies moved into their new home, when Drake had small hopes of eventually drawing Suzie Costello's attention. But that wasn't meant to be (and she threatened to drop-kick Noah in the balls if he didn't leave her alone) … she seemed more interested in the annoying doctor. Such was life.

Before moving to the upper level of Hoover Dam, Tantalis made its home in an abandoned apartment building … which was also owned by his nephew-by-marriage. Evidently, Jack spent time in the States during the nineteen twenties and bought up land at that time. Oh, Drake didn't know that when he started renting the building, which was registered to a 'Devin Shayne.' From what Drake could tell, it was one of Jack's aliases, since the man claimed not to remember his birth name. Regardless … Drake owed Jack, and he hated owing anyone. Thus, the meeting today, while Jack was taking Lacey to meet Optimus Prime.

"Okay, so here's what we know. I received some items from my college roommate, Reginald Simmons. Some know him as Reggie, some know him as Seymour. In any event, I received these items from him, for the purpose of experimentation. As most of you know by now, having read the Sector Seven files so graciously provided by my older brother after the debacle last night, much of the scientific engineering breakthroughs we've experience during the last hundred years or so is thanks to those things we encountered last night," Drake told his scientists.

The small unit sat around a table in the Tantalis conference room (which didn't look that different from the Torchwood conference room, which was about three or four doors down from their own). Chris Lennox was seated to his right, taking notes. Usually, it was his own secretary who did this … or Lacey … but since neither was available at the moment, Chris was pressed into service. And he was doing a pretty good job, so far as Drake could tell, not that the lead scientist was surprised. It was Chris who wheeled him to safety the previous night, even as Lacey and Ianto disappeared from sight with little Caitlin Banachek. He would check over the boy's notes later, just to be safe. Drake was sure that the notes were fine … Chris had several years of note-taking experience from college and graduate school, after all. But it never hurt to check again.

"How do we know that your niece didn't stuff something up? She was late, after all," Noah Sanders opined , yelping as Geoff rolled his eyes and administered a stinging head slap. Drake winced in spite of himself, since he'd been on the receiving end of one of Geoff's head slaps. Chris ducked his own head, grinning in spite of his obvious irritation with the scientist. Noah added, sounding indignant, "It's a perfectly logical question. She was late, so how we know she didn't pull something funny with the alien tech before she and that Welsh kid got in the car. Dammit, Geoff!" The rest of the room laughed aloud at the man's disgusted expression.

"And how exactly did she remove the grease stains from her white dress from the time she leaned over the trunk until she got into the car, Noah? I mean, seriously? How stupid are you?" Chris blurted out, staring at the older man with naked contempt. Drake thought about reeling the boy in before he did or said something mind-blowingly stupid. However, he dismissed it. After all, Noah was still here, and he was saying things that were far more idiotic than anything Chris could come up with. Really, there were times when Drake swore that Noah was proof positive that lots of education killed common sense.

Chris continued, still in that same scathing tone, "I know it's hard for you to do, but at least try put aside your galloping misogyny for five minutes and think about this like a rational human being. Lacey never touched the alien tech, therefore, it's impossible for her to be the one who triggered it. As I recall, you're the one who carried it into the convention center … therefore, you're the one who is more likely to have triggered a homing device. And that would stand to reason, since you're the one accusing Lacey of bringing this down on our heads." The young man sat back, glowering at the scientist.

"Easy, lad," Geoff murmured, his soft voice carrying despite Noah's bluster. He stared at the other scientist, adding with a cold expression, "But he has a point. You're the one who handled the tech … not me, not Chris, not Drake, not Lacey, not Ianto. How do we know that you aren't the one who triggered the homing beacon, however inadvertently? Yeah. 'S what I thought. Put a bloody sock in it, Noah, before you make an even bigger idiot out of yourself. There's another possibility … I was reading over the reports provided by Major Lennox of his unit's encounter with the NBE called Scorponok, and he makes reference to the tail still being dangerous even after it was removed from the NBE. Now … what if that _was_ the beacon? It wasn't triggered by anything, except by the fact that it was removed."

Chris shuddered at the reference to what his older brother faced in the desert, and Drake sympathized. There was a time when he regarded himself as superior to his brother, because John was a soldier and Drake was better than that. That delusion lasted until the first time Drake faced losing his older brother … and it was completely disintegrated when Drake lost the use of his legs and John stood beside him when other family members abandoned him. The head of the Tantalis Institute put his hand on the boy's shoulder, sympathetic to his fear … but their brothers were warriors, and they owed it to John and to Will to have faith in them. Chris offered him a small smile, as if hearing what Drake was thinking.

Satisfied that the intern was okay, Drake turned his mind to the theory that Geoff set forth. The quiet blond Scot was staring at him steadily, awaiting Drake's judgment. The director said at last, "You know, you may be onto something, Geoff. But my question is, why then? We've had the artifact for several weeks, so why then? Why last night, in the convention center? Did the Dam shield the artifact from Decepticon eyes and sensors?" Chris was nodding slowly and Drake asked, "What is it, Chris?"

"Will told me a bit last night, since he couldn't keep it from me any longer. But apparently, the Decepticons didn't know exactly where the Cube, and Megatron, was until one of their smaller members snuck inside. It was that Decepticon which tried to take out your brother and your former roommate, sir, along with Maggie Madsen. So, if they didn't know until then where it was, it seems to me that the Dam has a dampening field … maybe left over from when the Cube was here?" the young man suggested. Drake exchanged looks with his two scientists, and Chris added with a shrug, "I read the same reports the three of you did, and I signed the exact same agreement."

"Good point," Drake acknowledged, "you raise several good points, Christopher. You sure that you're not a scientist in training?" The boy shrugged, blushing a little, and Drake went on, smiling to himself that he made the youngster blush, "Okay. So. What is our next step? There's the possibility that we've made a target out of ourselves, which is why I'm asking this question. I know what I want to do, but my life isn't the only one at stake here. So are yours. So. What do you want to do next, where do we go from here?"

Reminding Drake once again why he hired him in the first place, Noah pointed out, "We need to figure out what we did to trip the beacon, if that's what we did. We've done numerous experiments in the time we've been here in the Dam. Nothing happened. Did we trip the beacon or did the Dam prevent the Decepticons from picking up on what we were doing? Here's another question … Megatron and the Cube were here. Why didn't it occur to the Decepticons that the Dam might still be in play?"

"Most likely, they've been on the run since Mission City. The Decepticon ranks were decimated during that battle, according to the mission briefing I read. The Autobots lost one soldier, but they were a smaller unit anyhow. Optimus Prime took out one of the Decepticons before they even reached Mission City. Major Lennox took out another one. There was Megatron, of course. The NBE known as Bumblebee also took out one, with that help of that young girl, after he was badly damaged. More than likely, they were in no position to return to the Dam, especially not with the Autobots remaining on the planet," Geoff pointed out. He added thoughtfully, "Still. That's a good point."

"Of course it is! I _am_ capable of coming up with good ideas," Noah protested indignantly. Geoff and Chris exchanged a look, a small smile playing about Geoff's lips, and Noah muttered, "Oh, shut up." That drew another round of laughter, and Drake noticed Noah's lips twitching as well. He said more seriously, "Okay, I agree with Geoff. Still, that doesn't help with what we do next. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but can we ask for Torchwood's help?"

"I wouldn't recommend it, until Jack's had a chance to calm down. And I'll do the asking … he's heard some of the things you've said about Lacey, so you asking him would be a Very Bad Idea," Drake pointed out. Noah actually paled, and Drake bit back a smile. Even Noah knew that Jack was dangerous when he was furious. Actually, Jack was dangerous, period … and only individuals with low IQ's or a death wish deliberately made him angry. Drake continued, "However, asking Jack or Suzie is our best bet … short of asking the Autobots … so I'll ask Jack tomorrow if Suzie or Tosh could take a look at what we have. Until then, we continue with our own experiments, but I want everyone to keep something in mind. This was once part of a living being. Treat it as if it still is. Dismissed!"

TBC


	8. Chapter 7: The NEST Wives Club

Author's Note: There's mention made in this chapter of characters in another fandom. I've done this sort of thing in the past, but this time, they're mentioned only … I don't have any plans for them to actually appear. It comes out of a conversation I had with my best friend five years ago, while I was visiting her for a week. We were watching the first _Transformers_ movie on DVD, and she realized that the actress who played Sarah Lennox (Samantha Smith) also played Mary Winchester in the tv-series _Supernatural_. After a few minutes of debate, it was decided that Sarah was the oldest Winchester child and her father John placed her with her mother's family to protect her after Mary's death. After five years, I finally had a chance to use that storyline (which was bequeathed to me during that conversation, because she knew she wouldn't do anything with it). Moving right along: in this chapter, the metaphorical dust settles from the revelation of the Autobots; Sarah Lennox considers the next move for the NEST family (with some assistance from Monique Epps … and thank you ever so much to TFWiki for providing the names of the Epps children. Really, if you haven't read the novelization for _Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen_, try it out: the section where Sam tells Sarah and Monique about the plan to revive Optimus, and how the wives pass that message along to their husbands is absolutely hilarious); and Ianto tries to hold onto Lisa.

Chapter Seven

The NEST Wives Club

It was actually a bit scary for Lacey, how easy it was to return to 'normal,' or what passed for normal in Torchwood, after she met the Autobots. At least, at first, but her father reminded her that she'd seen an alien for the first time at the age of twenty-one, and she was married to a man who couldn't stay dead. He would have been more surprised if she didn't recover quickly from the shock of meeting the Autobots. Lacey just rolled her eyes but couldn't argue with her dad. He was right, after all. She observed as much to her dad, who beamed at her and pointed out, '_now you're catching on_.'

After a few days of spontaneously snogging her husband (or tackling him across the conference room table when the mood struck her … not that Jack complained), Lacey began to put the Autobots in their proper place in her life. She still had a husband and a child to take care of, to say nothing of other responsibilities. Some of those were Jack's team, but there was also the matter of Lacey's two younger sisters … especially Cissie, who was turning into a hellion, much to their mother's chagrin and annoyance. Bronnie was a tomboy, and a bit of a wild child, but Cissie was literally taking it to the next level, and their mother was at her wit's end. Lacey thought about what was ahead for her with Corey and shuddered. There were times when motherhood scared the hell out of her, never mind dealing with aliens.

Three days after Jack officially introduced her to the Autobots, Lacey was sitting in Hot Rod (and wasn't that weird … sitting inside a sentient being), getting to know her new guardian (even weirder), when a knock on the window startled her. Hot Rod grumbled about humans abusing Autobots, but the window rolled down and Lacey was greeted by Monique Epps and Sarah Lennox, who both handed her '_welcome to the insanity_' cards before she invited them into Hot Rod. Oh, she knew both ladies and got along well with them … but with her introduction to the Autobots, it was like being adopted into a family that she already belonged to. Fortunately, both Sarah and Monique understood what she meant, and the three women nearly deafened poor Hot Rod with their giggling. He denied it, of course … but Lacey knew that particular note in any male's voice, regardless of their species. She heard it enough from her father and Jack, and other males as she grew up as she and her sisters emitted one of their squeals.

The three women spent the rest of the day getting to know each other over pizza, pastries, and a variety of drinks back at the Harkness residence. Corey had afternoon kindergarten and Annabelle was with her father at NEST, leaving the house free for the women. By this time, both Sarah and Monique knew about Jack's inability to stay dead, and they were extremely curious. Not only about how it worked (Lacey couldn't help there … she had no idea), but about how Lacey dealt with seeing someone she loved die and come back to life (about how they'd expect). Monique shook her head, muttering, '_girl, if I had to watch Bobby go through that, I don't know that I'd be able to stay. Being a soldier's wife ain't easy, but that's a whole 'nother level of not easy_.'

Lacey wasn't entirely sure what to say that. It wasn't easy, but that was life. She shrugged instead and picked up another piece of pizza, adjusting her posture against Jack's favorite armchair … the one she found him asleep in so many nights after her miscarriage, when his desire to protect her overwhelmed every other desire he felt, including the one to hold her. Perhaps sensing Lacey's unease with the topic, Sarah changed the subject, talking about her own family … the two younger brothers she never saw, Sam and Dean, after the horrific loss of their mother Mary. Lacey reached over to squeeze the older woman's hand. She had quite a few challenges while she was growing up, but at least she grew up with both of her parents, as well as both of her sisters. Sarah effectively lost her entire family in one night. Lacey didn't ask why her younger brothers remained with their father. It wasn't her business, and it was obvious that even after so many years, the memory still pained her new friend.

Instead, she obligingly turned the subject to something that was easy for them all to discuss: the Autobots. Monique and Sarah both wanted to know her thoughts on Optimus Prime (more specifically, his voice), and Lacey was totally honest when she told them that the Autobot leader's voice made her feel safe. She used the example of when she was very little and very cold … the sensation of a warm blanket being wrapped around her, sitting on an adult's lap and large fingers holding her much smaller digits around the mug of hot cocoa. She couldn't remember which adult, although she suspected it was either her father or her husband … and it really didn't matter, because in that moment, she felt safe, and that was more important than anything else. That was the memory that pushed into her mind when she heard Optimus Prime speak, and noticed the look that passed between her two companions. Not surprisingly, both Sarah and Monique agreed with her assessment, although they came up with different memories. They didn't specify which memories Optimus pushed to the surface, but again, it didn't really matter. That wasn't the point of the conversation, and they would tell Lacey when they were ready. Something she learned from Jack … the virtue of patience.

They were also curious about the rest of Torchwood. Oh, Bobby and Will told them about Tosh, Owen, Suzie and Ianto (less so about Ianto), but they wanted her perspective. That, Lacey wasn't as comfortable talking about, although she did confirm Monique's question about Ianto refusing help after Canary Wharf. Sarah grumbled under her breath about typical males, but did wonder if Lacey or Jack tried to nudge him into talking to someone about what happened to him. Lacey acknowledged that they did, but when they made the attempt, he grew distant. Monique shook her head, murmuring that wouldn't end well. She'd get no argument from Lacey, but until the boy was willing to admit he needed help, they wouldn't get anywhere. She said as much to her two companions, both of whom admitted that unfortunately, she was dead right.

And then, Sarah reached over to squeeze Lacey's hand, saying, "When the excrement hits the rotator blades … which we all know it will … we'll be there to help clean up the mess." Lacey returned the pressure, because it wasn't just Ianto she was worried about, but Suzie as well. She reflected a bit ruefully that the old adage about the squeaking wheel getting the oil was painfully true. Ianto and Suzie were worrying her for various reasons, but she had to make sure that Tosh and Owen didn't get lost in the shuffle. That would be far easier said than done.

TWTFTWTFTWTF

Sarah Elaine Winchester thought when she met and fell in love with the handsome young Lt. Will Lennox that she knew what she was getting into. Sarah came from a service-oriented family … her own father was in the United States Marine Corps before he married her mother, while both of her grandfathers served in World War II. Her grandmothers were also in the service: her maternal grandmother was in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve and her paternal grandmother was in the WAVES. But until her mother was murdered while protecting her youngest brother, they had a pretty normal life. Sarah's own life remained normal, even as her father chased down her mother's murderer with her two brothers. That all changed with the attack on her husband's base in Qatar. And at first, when her husband came home, she was too busy being grateful that Will survived, too busy being relieved. Of course, then she met his new allies and Sarah had a whole new set of fears. That was even before she met Captain Jack Harkness and the rest of Torchwood.

Jack was … he was a walking, talking contradiction. Sarah saw him give ruthless orders to save the world, and she saw him cradling Annabelle as if she was the most precious thing imaginable. Which, of course, she was. She saw him flirt with everyone and everything, and she saw the way he looked at his wife. The man was exceptionally intelligent and as playful as a child. By the end of the second week she'd known him, Sarah came to view him as an extremely gorgeous, extremely annoying, extremely protective big brother. When she told Lacey about that, her new friend laughed and told her that Owen had the annoying big brother role as well. Sarah's response was to tell her that she'd take Lacey's word for it. 'Annoying' wasn't something Sarah would call Owen, and most of what she _would_ call him wasn't fit for mixed company.

The three women bonded over the course of the afternoon, talking about their husbands, their children (Lacey and Sarah's respective daughters, as well as Monique's children Fred, Shaniqua, Shareeka, Sheleeka and Mozambique), their lives outside their families and NEST. They started out in Hot Rod, migrated to the living room of the Harkness residence with several boxes of pizza, and then to the kitchen when Lacey wanted to show them her younger sister Bronnie's sketches, and there they stayed while Lacey made tea. Sarah asked if it was the result of living in the UK, and Lacey admitted it actually had more to do with the time she spent in Wisconsin while her father was on TDY. She and her mother would have cups of hot tea when Lacey returned from school. Sarah shuddered, because she was very familiar with how cold that part of the country got. Painfully familiar.

As they sat in the kitchen, sipping at their tea, conversation began to slow. Not because they were running out of things to say, but because they needed to figure out where their boundaries were, and it was just a matter before those boundaries were discovered. Monique cleared her throat and said, "Okay, you had to know that this question was coming." Sarah rolled her eyes and Lacey merely smirked knowingly. Monique put down her cup, leaned forward, and asked, "How is Jack in bed?" Sarah groaned and Monique swatted her, telling her, "None of that, you! We love our husbands, but Jack's a fine specimen of man. A seriously fine specimen of man, and I wouldn't be human if I didn't at least _wonder _what he was like in bed."

"About how you'd imagine," was Lacey's droll answer. This time, Monique groaned and the newest member of the sisterhood laughed aloud, adding, "What can I tell you, Moni? I don't kiss and tell." It was Sarah's turn to laugh, exchanging a high-five with the younger woman at the same time. Lacey continued, still grinning, "Sorry to spoil your fun, but I haven't talked about sex since my little sister decided to embarrass me by talking about what she heard in the girls' locker room at her junior high." _Ouch_. Yeah, Sarah could imagine. Lacey added, "I was twenty-one and she was like twelve."

Now both Monique and Sarah groaned, because, _ew_! Monique mock-grumbled, "Well, fine then!" That set both Sarah and Lacey laughing again, and Monique grinned at them, dark eyes twinkling with amusement. She continued, "All right, so no talk about sex. I can tell you won't be much fun." Lacey merely arched her eyebrows with a small smirk, and Monique sighed, "Damn, busted again. Okay. So you won't tell us what your husband is like in bed, and I can't sting you into telling us. Anyone ever tell you that you're a pain in the ass, Alexandra?" Now Lacey's eyes were twinkling with amusement.

"Owen tells me that on a regular basis, only _he_ tells me that I'm a pain in the arse. Along with a few other things that he doesn't think I hear, and I'm pretty sure that Jack doesn't hear," was her mischievous response. Monique hooted aloud and pounded the table with the palm of her hand. Lacey continued, "Ianto sometimes forgets that I was in Cardiff for four years, and did learn some Welsh … I hear some of the things he calls Owen. Don't let the suits fool you, ladies … that boy's language can be just as salty as Owen's."

"But he's so _cuuuuute_!" Sarah all but crooned, and Monique bobbed her head. Lacey shrugged a bit and Sarah went on, "He reminds me a bit of what my brothers might be like, only with a Welsh accent. And a suit. Can't imagine Sammy or Dean in a suit. Then again, when I see them in my mind's eye, Dean's still a very little boy and Sammy's a baby. They aren't little anymore." '_Assuming they're still alive_,' was what went unsaid.

That pain was mostly dulled now, but never truly gone. Her two companions were silent for a moment, and then Lacey asked a bit slowly, "Forgive me for asking this, but I don't really remember that part of our life because I was so young … is there any recipe-swapping that goes on?" Sarah blinked at the out-of-the-blue question, and Lacey continued, "I mean within the NEST wives … do you trade recipes?" Okay, that was something that never really occurred to her, mainly because NEST was still so new, really. And yet …

"Not … yet. But then, you know, maybe the three of us … let's face it, NEST is mind-bending. Maybe the three of us should form an FRG," Sarah said as things she'd been considering for the last few months solidified with Lacey's innocent question. A large number of NEST members weren't married … that was actually part of the reason they were chosen … but there was a small number who were. As the wife of NEST's commander, it fell to Sarah to look after the other wives (spouses, but mostly wives). Lacey bit her lip, an expression that Sarah quickly came to recognize as meaning, '_let me think about that_.'

"How do we organize that?" the ever-practical Monique asked. Good point. Monique continued, "It's a great idea, Sare, don't get me wrong, but how would we organize? NEST isn't like the military as a whole, so how would we do it?" The three women were silent for several moments as they considered this question, and then Monique said slowly, "Unless … unless we follow Bobby and Will's example, and have a core group? A group that overwhelmed newbies can come to?" She looked at Lacey and Sarah as she spoke, and the blonde was amused by the stunned look in their hostess' eyes.

"Uhm, gals, I'd be happy to help, but I'm not sure how much help I can be. I'm _used_ to the weird. I mean, I found out when I was sixteen that my father's best friend couldn't stay dead; when I was twenty-one, I saw my first alien; when I was twenty-three, I married that man who can't stay dead; and … you know, never mind, it doesn't matter. The point is, I'm used to the weird and the bizarre. That's normal for me. I don't know how much help I can be to someone who is coming from the opposite angle," Lacey said slowly.

Sarah blinked, because that never even occurred to her. Not only that Lacey would see it that way, but that she would take such things into consideration. Monique said slowly, "But you see, that's a help in and of itself, Lace. You see all these crazy things, but you're still a sane, normal person." It was Lacey's turn to blink and she stared at Monique, who continued, "You're what awaits for the newbies on the other side, you show them that it's possible. There _is_ a place for you in the NEST Wives Club, Lacey."

Now Lacey's eyebrows were arching once more with obvious amusement as she drawled out, "The … NEST … Wives … Club?" Yeah, Sarah couldn't argue with her reaction to that. Monique merely shrugged and Lacey repeated a little more slowly, as if she was tasting the words, "The NEST Wives Club. Are the guys gonna be auxiliary?" Monique huffed and swatted the back of Lacey's shoulder, making all three giggle. She murmured, "Well, why not? Mama's told me about the FRG, and Lord knows anyone who gets involved with NEST will have one helluva adjustment to make." That … was one way of putting it. Sarah thought of how she reacted the first time she saw Ironhide transform. Lacey murmured, "We do need to figure out how that works. Not just the transforming, but how they know how to transform. I mean, how they get the alternate form. I forgot to ask Optimus."

"That, I can help with," Monique observed, "According to what Ratchet told Bobby, they focus on a vehicle that suits their personality and size, and scan it. Once it's scanned, apparently that information is transferred to their transformation cog … that's what allows them to transform … and shebang, they can switch into their alternate form." Sarah stared at her in shock, because she'd never gotten an explanation out of Ironhide. Monique shrugged, adding, "What? Bobby was there when Bumblebee got the All-spark to shrink, so he asked Ratchet about how the transformation works."

"It helps to know what questions to ask," Lacey commented, "that was always a problem I had with the subjects I hated in school. I couldn't progress because I didn't understand anything well enough to ask any questions." Sarah cringed, because she had subjects like that as well. Lacey continued, "And it makes sense. Okay. Okay, if you think there's a place for me, I'll help out when I can. Torchwood has gotta be my first priority, though, in addition to Jack and Corey." Sarah nodded, because of course she had to put her husband and child, as well as her husband's agency, first. Lacey grinned then, looking no older than her step-granddaughter, adding, "And we'll have a lot of fun, the three of us!" Monique grinned back, reaching her hand out to the middle of the table. Sarah frowned, trying to figure out what the hell she was doing, but Lacey snickered and lay her hand on top of Monique's … oh, that's what they were doing. Laughing, Sarah placed her hand atop Lacey's … and then they started over again, slapping at each other's hands as if they were small girls once more. There might come a time when Sarah wouldn't quail inside just looking at an Autobot … but for now, she would recapture some of her long-lost innocence with three women in the same boat as herself.

TWTFTWTFTWTF

Things were finally starting to settle down, for which Ianto Jones was beyond grateful. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to beg off meeting the Autobots, but right now, the last thing he needed was another encounter with any Cybertronian, whether they were Autobots or Decepticons. He knew that Lisa was worried about him, especially in light of the attack a few days earlier, and wanted him to talk about it with someone. But that just wasn't something he could afford to do. If he started talking about the attack at the convention center, he would end up talking about Canary Wharf, and that would lead to talking about Lisa. And that was not something he would do, something he _could_ do.

Suzie Costello asked early on, while he was still sorting out the mess that was the Alien Archive (and part of the reason it was such a mess was because of the Secretary of Defense, who fended off a Decepticon in there), if he got help for his obvious PTSD. He merely smiled and responded that he talked to someone after Canary Wharf. Which he did, technically speaking … the two Sector Seven agents who used him and Lisa. He had the suspicion that Suzie didn't believe him, that she knew far more than she was letting on, but she said nothing, and Ianto had to be so careful about what was said and what was done.

As it was, his feelings toward his captain and his captain's lady were quickly spiraling out of control. Resentment warred with desire and a reluctant affection and an equally reluctant protectiveness. Lacey Harkness was nothing like Rhiannon, but Ianto still found himself thinking of her as an older sister, the one who tried to take care of him without him realizing it. Of course, he did realize it, and it made his deception so much harder on so many levels. And, he also couldn't deny that he would have died to protect both her and Caitlin Banachek. That wasn't just because he knew what Captain Harkness would have done to him if he hadn't.

He told Lisa all this when she was awake, the day after the incident, and she gently reminded him that Captain Harkness would have made him pay if he simply ran away … if he didn't even try. And he _did_ try. No one expected him to react as a seasoned operative, because he was anything but. Ianto was nonplussed, especially when Lisa reminded him of how both the captain and his lady insisted on taking care of him after the incident. That wasn't the behavior of a man who expected Ianto to play the hero. Ianto treasured those conversations, although they were getting fewer and further between … it reminded him why he was doing this, why he was fighting so hard to save Lisa. There was still a human being inside that conversion unit, and he had to keep sight of that.

There was another reason for his resentment of his new boss and the boss lady, as the prat Owen called them … and that was the one he had a hardest time acknowledging. Jack Harkness and his wife were a distraction … a distraction, at a time when he could afford none. Especially the day before, when Ianto made the mistake of ignoring the locked door to the conference room and walked in on Lacey Harkness ravishing her husband. Ianto still wasn't sure what was stronger … the stab of jealousy that took his breath away or the bolt of desire which almost sent him to his knees. It was bad enough that he realized that he would have seduced the captain to keep him from finding out about Lisa. In the cool quiet of the Alien Archives, Ianto shuddered. However, what worried him even more was Lisa's reaction when he told her: rather than being angry with him, she actually agreed that it would have been a good plan. In a way, he welcomed Owen's sarcasm and jibes … it kept him from going to Jack and confessing everything. And that? That would be an epic disaster.

Ianto knew Jack had little use for Torchwood London … at first, he thought it was simply because of the disaster of Canary Wharf, because of what Yvonne Hartman nearly unleashed on the world and her refusal to listen to reason. But, one day while he was returning from caring for Lisa, he heard Suzie and Toshiko discussing the time Jack Harkness was in charge of Torchwood Cardiff, and Torchwood London's involvement in his removal from that post. Suzie still hadn't forgiven Torchwood London, and it was extremely unlikely that she ever would. The second in command freely admitted that she wasn't the most forgiving of women … that Jack was far more forgiving than she was (although apparently, he did have his limits). She didn't take kindly to people hurting her boss … nor did she take kindly to threats made against her pregnant friend. Ianto couldn't blame her there.

There was also the captain's devotion to the alien who called himself 'the Doctor.' Ianto and Lisa both heard about how often 'that blighter Harkness' interfered in Torchwood's mandate to capture the Doctor. Lisa didn't have much use for the Doctor … not so much because she was a true believer in Torchwood doctrine (Lisa could border on the disrespectful when it came to Yvonne Hartman), but because she didn't have much use for the alien. _He is not_, Lisa told him softly when it became clear that the Doctor was in Yvonne's clutches, _all that and a bag of crisps_. She didn't understand the captain's devotion for the Doctor, and seemed to think his fierce loyalty said more about the captain than it did about the Doctor. Ianto wasn't particularly interested in the Doctor, too focused on … other things. He wished now that he listened more.

Then again, it was unlikely that 'listening more' would have done anything to save Lisa or to prevent the disaster from happening in the first place. However, listening more would be necessary now, to save Lisa … not just to remove her from the Cyber-unit, but to protect her if Captain Harkness ever found her. Every bit of information Ianto was able to retrieve, every little nugget of gossip, anything that would protect him and protect Lisa, he would gather, like that mad little squirrel in the Ice Age movies that David and Mica loved so much. The young man uttered a low laugh … when he was a boy, he dreamed of being like James Bond, but this wasn't what he had in mind.

"Ianto? Are you all right?" Lisa asked weakly, evidently awakened by his bitter laughter. Ianto turned his full attention to his girlfriend, whose eyes were clear today … even so, it was obvious she was in pain. That didn't stop her from murmuring, "You're having nightmares again, aren't you? Oh, Ianto, you need to tell someone about what happened the other night! This is eating you up inside, and don't tell me that NEST doesn't have psychiatrists who could help you!" Ianto offered her what Jack was coming to call his 'butler' smile, and it convinced Lisa about as well as it did the captain. She added reproachfully, "You should take better care of yourself. What will happen if I get better, and you fall sick or worse?"

"When you get better, Lisa, _when_ you get better," Ianto corrected without even really thinking about it, because so far as he was concerned, that was the only acceptable outcome. He continued after a moment, "And I'm fine. I just have to get you better, and then everything will be better. I'll get you out of here, and you can see Hoover Dam from the outside. I'll take you to Las Vegas and to Santa Fe and to Los Angeles, and anywhere else you want to go while we're here. We can even go up to Canada if you don't want to go back to Britain." He had no idea how he would get them across the border, but Ianto was sure he could come up with something.

And Lisa smiled at him … there was amusement, and indulgence, and maybe even a little bit of hope, which was so lacking during the last few weeks. She asked huskily, "Where else would you take me here in America? There's nothing left for me in the UK … you're my only home and have been for a while. Where else would you take me, love?" Ianto smiled at her, delighted that she was willing to play this game. It had been so long since they did this … not since before Canary Wharf, and it could only be a positive sign.

"Hmmm. Well, I think we should start here in the Western part of the country and see what we can see here. I'd have to do some research, of course, but we could explore Montana and Washington State and Oregon and Idaho. That's in the Pacific Northwest, but we could head south-ish, too … go to Texas or New Mexico. How do you think I'd look in a cowboy hat and cowboy boots?" Ianto teased gently and was thrilled when Lisa giggled like a little girl. He smirked at her, for a moment no longer seeing the cyber-unit … no, he saw _his_ Lisa as she sat beside him on the floor of their flat, dressed in a pair of track pants and one of his t-shirts, eyes glittering with amusement and mischief.

"I think you would look utterly _adorable_," Lisa snickered, eyes shining, and Ianto started laughing. She just beamed up at him, radiant in her laughter, and said, "Oh, I've missed you so much, Ianto." He just looked at her, startled, and she continued, "I've missed seeing your real smile and hearing you laugh." Ianto swallowed hard and traced her features with his fingertips. In so much pain and fighting against the conversion, and she was still trying to take care of him.

"I'll offer you a deal, love," he suggested hoarsely, "when we get you out of that thing, when you're better, I promise I'll laugh or smile at least once a day. Acceptable?" What he was really asking, of course was, 'is that enough to make you fight until you can't fight any longer?' Even if he wasn't willing to admit it to himself, Ianto knew that the chances of helping Lisa dwindled with every passing day. Her dark eyes filled with tears, tears that had nothing to do with the pain that wracked her body.

"You have a deal, my Ianto. I'll get better and once I do, you have to laugh or smile at least once a day. And you'll take me traveling, to see everything that you have," Lisa promised. Ianto offered her a watery smile before leaning forward to brush a light kiss to her forehead. She murmured, her eyes drifting closed, "I may not be able to have babies because of those monsters. That makes me so sad, Ianto … we would have had such beautiful babies, you and I. Would you be all right with adopting children, instead?"

Ianto blinked back tears before the moisture could fall on her face, but whispered, "Of course I would. And whether they were children born of our bodies or not, they'd still be our children. You'll still be my wife, and I'll love you no matter what you looked like, no matter what the Cybers did to you. You'll still be my Lisa, and I'm still your Ianto." He kissed her forehead again, wishing he could do more, wishing he could touch her properly. Then again, he was growing accustomed to wishing that. It seemed no matter what he did, it wasn't enough, would never be enough, because he wasn't fast enough at Canary Wharf, wasn't fast enough, wasn't strong enough, wasn't smart enough and couldn't get to Lisa before she was converted.

"Always my Ianto. Can we adopt one of those babies that no one wants? A special-needs baby, because those babies need love most of all," Lisa murmured as the sedative began to flood her system once more. Ianto hated that, hated that she needed it, but she was in so much pain that it was necessary for the sake of her sanity. His beautiful Lisa. She didn't deserve this. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she didn't deserve this. But as he well knew, 'deserving' had very little to do with what was.

"Of course we can … we can and we will, and no baby has ever been loved or ever will be loved so much as our child," he breathed. There was so little he could do for her until he found someone who could reverse the conversion … if promising that they could adopt a child no one else wanted would keep her fighting, would keep her from giving up, then he would not only make that promise, but he would move heaven, hell and earth to carry it out. His Lisa would get the very best … the very best care, the very best of everything he could give her.

Or he would die trying.

TBC


	9. Chapter 8: Going Pear-Shaped

Author's Notes: Yes, I've updated! I've had some things in my head for a while, but it wasn't until this past week, while I've been organizing the file room at my new job that things coalesced for me. Fortunately, not only can I take my lunch in the file room, but I have plenty of notebook paper to use. There were a few re-writes and hair-pulling after realizing that I left a few plot holes big enough for my younger brother to navigate his submarine through, but I think I've sewn those up. In this chapter, Hot Rod starts his protection detail; the Tantalis staff hits burnout; and Jack gets some bad news.

Chapter Eight

Going Pear-Shaped

One of the first things you learned in Torchwood was to enjoy and even savor the quiet times, because they didn't last. Unfortunately, it was a lesson that was sometimes necessary to learn and re-learn and learn again. As things settled down after the revelation about the Autobots (because, hello, giant alien robots!), Lacey's attention turned back to taking care of her husband's team (at least as much as they allowed her to), assisting at her church (she had a lot more luck there), being a sounding board for her uncle as he tried to figure out what changed from the experimentation at the Dam to the convention center (something she had a lot of experience with), as well as being a wife and mother.

About three weeks after meeting the Autobots and helping to set things in motion for the NEST Wives Club, she was printing out the recipes her mother picked up while they were moving around the world for a cookbook that St. Catherine's Guild was putting together as a fundraiser. The coordinator, Abigail Phan, asked for at least five recipes from each member … Lacey would be providing ten. That would give Abigail more of a choice, and would provide cover for anyone who wasn't able to provide the requested five. She hesitated, and then printed off a recipe which Kara gave her as a graduation gift. Abigail told her that she didn't have to impress her … Jack did that when he flirted with Abigail's youngest daughter … but Lacey reminded her that there were career women in the Guild who didn't have the time to get recipes. Abigail firmly shut her mouth at that point, although her eyes sparkled.

A quick glance at the clock on her computer told her that she had another twenty minutes before she had to leave to pick up Corey. She'd wait until she got home to start dinner, and then take it to the Dam so she, Jack, and Corey could eat together. Assuming, of course, that all hell didn't break loose between now and then. It was something she started when Corey was old enough to ask where her daddy was … and it was easy enough to make enough food for the entire team. She had her mother's example, after all. Lacey thought of the dinner parties her mother hosted when she was a child … that, at least, was something that she didn't have to worry about, and it was highly unlikely that her Majesty would ever come to dinner at their home. Emphasis on '_highly unlikely_,' because _nothing_ was impossible, especially when it came to Torchwood.

Her attention returned to Kara's recipe once more. Most of the time, her college roommate and best friend at the time retreated to the recess of her memory … but that ran in cycles. Most of the time, thinking of Kara created a dull ache in her chest, just as remembering her grandmothers did. There were other times when … well, when she caught herself trying to remember Kara's telephone number, only to remember at the last minute that Kara was dead and had been for ten years. She mourned for all of the friends she lost that day, of all the lives that would never be lived, but Lacey knew that the loss of Kara would always hurt most of all.

She once asked Jack if it was normal … to reach for Kara's phone number so long after she'd died. He answered with a small shrug and answered that his version of normal wasn't necessarily normal for anyone else … but he caught himself wanting to call people who'd been dead for twenty-five years. Lacey decided to take comfort in that, but made a mental note not to ask her husband something like that. It was, she realized later, a cruel thing to ask a man who'd lived far longer than anyone she would likely ever know. It wasn't her intention to be cruel, but it was. Fortunately, she was married to a very forgiving man, who smiled at her apology and accepted it with a snog that left her (even more) breathless than usual.

Another glance at the clock told her that she needed to start getting ready to leave. It was her greatest fear that class would let out early and her little girl would have to wait … Corey wasn't an insecure child by any stretch of the imagination, but there was no point in tempting fate. Lacey never spoke of that particular fear to her parents (for that matter, she never told Jack about it), as it was the result of something that actually happened when she was a child: it was her father's day to pick her up at school and his meeting ran (seriously) over. It wasn't his fault … there was no way for him to make other arrangements from within the meeting and he had no way of contacting her mother to let her know that his meeting ran over. By the time he arrived, the nine year old Lacey was sitting on the steps of the school, trying so very hard to be brave, as the principal watched over her. It took her father months to forgive himself for that … probably because he still had nightmares about her kidnapping the year earlier.

Things happened. She knew that. But she would do her damnedest to make sure that Corey wouldn't find herself waiting at her school for hours for her parents to pick her up. And, Ianto told her that once he was used to driving on the right-hand side of the road, he'd be more than happy to pinch-hit for her, assuming nothing else needed his attention at the time. She'd smiled and kissed his cheek, provoking a blush from the young man, and promised that she might take him up on that. He really was a sweet boy. When he was a little less fragile from the fallout of Canary Wharf and their recent encounter with Decepticons, Lacey would have to seriously think about introducing him to Cissie and Bronnie. She would have to wait on Bronnie, though. The middle Keller daughter would probably overwhelm the poor kid at the moment.

That reminded her … she would need to remember to make biscuits tonight. When Ianto stayed at the house after the Decepticon attack, he expressed an appreciation for the breakfast she made that morning: hot biscuits covered with butter and honey. She'd make sure to take the butter and the honey with her. As she reached her car, Lacey stopped. There was a candy-apple red Saturn Aura sitting in their drive way. She normally drove a 2004 Nissan Xterra … and then, the red car said, "Good afternoon, Alexandra." Hot Rod. Of course. Jack told her that he would be taking up his guardianship duties today.

"Good afternoon, Hot Rod … it's time to pick up Corey from school. I take it that your pre-mission briefing went well," she answered, rallying as Hot Rod opened the door for her. Lacey was already figuring out the best way to respond to questions about her new car … at last, she opted for a version of the truth: that it was a gift from her father. In a manner of speaking, that was the case. People who asked didn't need to know that Hot Rod could hear every word they said. In fact, it might work to their advantage.

"Quite well. My sire informed me that as the daughter of the Secretary of Defense, you have more experience with military matters than many individuals of your age," Hot Rod answered. Lacey smiled a bit ruefully as she settled inside the Autobot. There was far more to it than simply being the daughter of the Secretary of Defense, something that she explained to Hot Rod. The young Autobot was silent for several moments, before observing, "I see. I look forward to learning more from you, Alexandra." That made two of them!

TWTFTWTFTWTF

"Okay, let's go over this again."

Drake Keller rubbed at his forehead and sat back in his chair, because nothing was adding up. The original theory for the attack on the convention center was that the Dam blocked the signal from the Decepticons. It was a sound theory, since it was necessary for the little Decepticon Drake's brother helped to kill during the initial invasion to sneak in by way of Mikaela Banes' cell phone. However, it was also incorrect, as proven by a quick conversation with the NEST officers on duty that night. They set up a protective 'net' for lack of a better word in a perimeter around the convention center … part of a just in case scenario.

That provoked the current situation (or debacle, if you prefer) … a round table free-for-all that began about eight hours earlier. Drake was actually quite proud of his people … there had only been four arguments so far, and no fistfights. Then again, fistfights did tend to be rare. Emphasis on 'tend to be,' because people were known to take a swing at Noah out of sheer irritation. On the other hand, the same could be said of him … and the wheelchair wasn't always a deterrent to people he ticked off.

"I have a better idea," Geoff McLeod said, sounding exhausted, "why don't we take a break? I'm starving, I don't think Christopher has lifted his head for more than five minutes a time in the last thirty minutes, and Noah is getting even more annoying than he normally is." That drew a scowl from the named scientist, and Drake responded with a glare that was probably best described as 'flatly unfriendly.' The normally easygoing Scot went on in a more conciliatory tone, "Look, the point is, we're all exhausted and hungry and our nerves are reaching the breaking point. We need to stop, if only for a few hours."

Chris Lennox raised his head from his folded arms, eyes bleary, and murmured, "He's right. Someone can make a run to one of the local places or order in, I don't care." The young man dropped his head back onto his arms again. It was that, even more than Geoff's words, which convinced him. One of the boy's nicknames, not only among the staff of Tantalis, but of Jack's Torchwood as well, was 'the Energizer bunny,' because he just never stopped. He was always 'on,' and for him to behave like this … It was long past time for them all to take a break.

Noah said in an uncharacteristically gentle voice, "I'll do that. Everyone, figure out what you want. There should be some menus over on the table … that niece of yours stocked up on menus the last time she was in Boulder City, Drake." The director of Tantalis responded with an unamused look, but Noah ignored him. Geoff pushed himself to his feet, muttering something under his breath about it being a bad sign when Noah was the voice of reason in the room. Noah snapped, "Oh, put a cork in it, you self-righteous, sanctimonious Scottish ass! Just because I don't kiss up to the director's family doesn't mean I'm incapable of thinking about other people!" Geoff rounded on him, hands curling into fists at his sides, and Noah was right there to meet him, rising up out of his seat with flashing eyes.

"That's enough, both of you! Geoff, get all of the menus and distribute them. Christopher, get your head up from the table so you can have a look. Noah … I think of something to yell at you for later. We are going to eat and then we're going to rest for a few hours. There will be no timer set, so after you eat, report back when you feel up to it," Drake growled at them both. Definitely a bad sign when Noah was being more considerate and Geoff was acting like a bear with a sore ass. He rubbed at his forehead again … damn, they should have taken a break hours ago. Drake wanted to blame his niece, but she warned him earlier in the week that the fridge was almost bare, and she wouldn't have the opportunity to go grocery shopping for them for quite some time. Besides, it wasn't Lacey's responsibility to take care of his staff … it was his own. And normally, Chris handled those details, but he'd been busy running errands and preventing everyone from falling apart in the wake of their meeting with the Autobots.

The Autobots. As Geoff passed the menus for the local eateries around the room, Drake allowed himself to think about the encounter with the Autobots, which took place the day after his niece encountered the alien robots. Noah's brain took a day or so to reboot after the meeting, Geoff spent nearly the entire time with the robot medic (Ratchet? Drake thought that was right. It made sense, since a ratchet was a tool for fixing things), while Chris acted like a little kid whose birthday and Christmas came at the same time. The boy's older brother never left his side … not, as Drake realized later, to protect him, but because he wanted to watch his little brother's face during the meeting. To the amusement of all 'Bots (to say nothing of the rest of Tantalis), Major Will Lennox was on the receiving end of a fierce embrace from his younger brother before the Tantalis scientists left that day.

And Optimus Prime. What an extraordinary being. He seemed to be a combination of military commander, president, priest and kindergarten teacher. Or maybe it was a daycare teacher. Drake had a pretty good idea what his mother would have said, but his mom wasn't here right now, and frankly, the idea of his mother anywhere near the Autobot commander terrified him. It wasn't that he feared she would be harmed, but it would be like having a teacher and your mother in the same general area: the result would be nothing but trouble for you. In spite of the meeting with the Autobots, Drake still wasn't convinced that the alien beings were the 'good' guys, but he couldn't argue with his brother's assertion that the Decepticons were definitely _not_ the good guys. No matter how the war started, no matter how valid their issues were at the beginning of said war, they weren't the good guys, not now.

And much to Drake's astonishment, when he told Optimus Prime about his own concerns (all of his concerns), the giant alien agreed that Drake should take his time before deciding whether the Autobots were the good guys. In the mean time, he intoned, they would continue to protect humanity from what remained of the Decepticons. Well, hell … what could Drake do with that? He knew that the Prime (or his scary bodyguard, Ironhide) could have easily squished him as soon as Drake told him that he didn't yet trust him. But he didn't, and Drake was still here, still among the living. He was still here, still alive, and still beating his head against the wall. Maybe he needed to figure this out before he could turn his attention back to the reason for the attack.

All right, then. He was a scientist. He was trained for situations like this … oh, he couldn't conduct experiments the normal way, but there were other ways for him to test the validity of the Autobots' claims. They made a good beginning with the meeting (and let's face it, no one squished Noah, who was at his annoying best and acting as if he knew everything there was to know about everything) … now, if only he could convince that part of him that was a rebellious little brother to shut up, so he could let the scientist do his job. That was a big part of the problem: there was a part of him that wanted to prove his older brother wrong. Not especially grown up, admittedly, but that was life.

Later, though. First, it was long past time to eat … and then he would get some rest (and thank you, Sector Seven, for putting crew dormitories in the Dam). Everything else could wait.

TWTFTWTFTWTF

For Torchwood, things never truly settled down … there was always something. Things settled in a few aspects after the assault against the convention center. It took Ianto an extra few days to regain his composure, but Jack really should have expected that. He survived Canary Wharf, which was only a few months in the past, and it was his first exposure to any Cybertronians. The Autobots, as a whole, had no desire to set foot (or was it 'ped' in this case?) in Hoover Dam after what Sector Seven did to Bumblebee, and Ianto spent most of his time within the Dam … so there was little opportunity for the boy to encounter their robotic allies.

Quite apart from the NEST-Torchwood-Autobot alliance (all right, maybe that was redundant), Torchwood had their own tasks, as they would have in Cardiff. Tosh and Suzie had their experiments, Ianto was cleaning up after the rest of them (mostly Owen and occasionally Jack) when he wasn't working things out in the Alien Archives Room where Jack's father-in-law made a stand of his own against the Decepticons along with Maggie Madsen, Agent Simmons, and Glen Whitmann, members of NEST was in and out for various reasons as were the members of Drake Keller's Tantalis, Jack had reports to read over and to sign off on, and God only knew what Owen was doing. Actually, the director came to realize that Tosh was spending nearly as much time trying to help Tantalis figure out what the hell happened when the convention center was attacked as she did on her own projects.

Jack was going over the most recent information from the Crown and Torchwood Three regarding the disaster at Canary Wharf when a knock on the door alerted him to a visitor … namely, Major Will Lennox. The human NEST commander stood in the threshold, his dark eyes flickering around a room that had to bring back less than pleasant memories for the younger man. Jack offered his NEST counterpart a welcoming smile, observing, "Will, nice surprise. Although I'm guessing from your expression that not only is this not a social visit, but it's not going to be the fun kind of business. What's going on?" Will's expression changed from sober to a strange combination of grimace and a smirk, with an eye-roll thrown in for good measure. This looked to be interesting … the same sort of 'interesting' that went with the old Chinese curse, '_may you live in interesting times_.' Some people thought it was a curse, at least, although to Jack, it was business as usual.

"I hate to tell you this, Jack, but I've got some bad news," was the initial response. Jack shuddered. That was never a good sign. It was bad enough when a rank and file member of NEST said that, but if it was either of the commanders (human or Autobot), that was even worse. Lennox told him, "When NEST fought off the Decepticons, one of them was injured as they retreated … or just before they retreated, we're really not sure of the timeline." Jack nodded … it wasn't that hard to believe, given the ferocity of the fight between the Decepticons and NEST, and Will explained, "We've since learned that the injured Decepticon lost some pieces of himself during the retreat. Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't bother me … but you've read about Scorponok's attack on us in Qatar." More to the point, Jack witnessed it with his team, but that wasn't the point right now. He simply nodded a second time and Will continued, "Right, SecDef told me that you knew about that encounter. So, you also know that even when he lost part of his tail, that part was still … I don't want to say sentient, but it was still dangerous and tried to kill us on the plane."

Jack still didn't say anything, because really, there wasn't anything to be said. Taking that for the prompting it was, Will outlined, "NEST received word that signals were being received somewhere in the city … Decepticon signals." Ah. Jack could see where he was going with this … NEST sent a team in and found that there was no Decepticon. However, that didn't account for Will's rather obvious concern. The younger man took a deep breath (seriously not a good sign) and went on, "It's in a residential area, Jack … near St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church." Jack's blood ran cold at this revelation. St. Thomas Aquinas … that was Lacey's parish. A quick check of his computer reassured him that it was Thursday, rather than Sunday … but there was still the matter of evacuating the rest of the people in the area.

"I take it that you'd like our help in evacuating the area," Jack observed and Will nodded, looking worried. The immortal didn't blame him … the idea of the Decepticons tearing up a bedroom community, looking for something that was left behind, was enough to give a hardened soldier nightmares. Truly, Jack didn't know if this missing piece was important enough, but he wasn't about to endanger the lives of hundreds of innocent people based on the assumption that the Decepticons _wouldn't_ do just that. He continued, "All right, you got it. But you also get to tell my team." Will rolled his eyes, but rose to his feet. With the Torchwood-NEST alliance, Will had that ability … if the director of Torchwood gave his approval. Jack observed merrily, "Well, technically speaking, you do outrank me, and rank does have its privileges."

"You keep telling yourself that, Jack. You just keep telling yourself that," Will retorted. He turned to go, but stopped and turned back around. His expression was earnest and compassionate as he added, "You know she's fine. Right about now, she'll be heading to pick up Corey … she's fine, and even if things get ugly, Hot Rod is there to protect her." Oh. Yes. Jack almost forgot about that little detail. Hot Rod started his protection detail today.

Jack was still working out how he felt about that. Apparently, Rodimus remembered enough of something not to tell the little boy Jack was all those years ago that in time they would meet again, and that he would be the Autobot assigned to protect Jack's wife. He had to maintain the timelines, as Jack well knew. Still … he found himself reviewing his conversations with Rodi to see if the Autobot told him something that didn't seem to be important at the time. You didn't have the same priorities at a hundred plus that you did at eleven or twelve. Well, for that matter, you didn't have the same priorities at a hundred plus that you did at thirty or even ninety.

Jack sent a quick ping to Lacey's cell phone, requesting an update on her schedule. It wasn't something he did often, but he wanted to make sure that she wouldn't be returning to the Dam until later in the evening … hopefully once they were done with the evacuation. He trusted her in the Dam … that wasn't the issue. He just didn't want Tantalis grabbing the food that was meant for Torchwood, and Jack knew Drake's staff of scientists well enough to know that the attempted would probably be made.

That done, he headed back out in the main part of the Dam, where Suzie and Tosh were even now loading up what they would need. Even from here, he could hear Owen grumbling under his breath as he put together a kit of what he would need in the field, while Ianto emerged from the Alien Archives (or as it amused Owen to call it, the AA) to ask if there was anything he could do. Jack eyed the deliciously disheveled young man, but only asked that Ianto be available if anything changed. The boy agreed readily, before disappearing back into the AA. Jack watched him go, and gave himself a mental shake. He was married, not dead (_not dead, ha_), but as the Doctor was so fond of telling him in those months leading up to the Game Station, there was a time and place.

Will began, "If you want me to …" The 'beep' from Jack's mobile interrupted and Jack waved at him to continue. It was just the text from Lacey's phone about her … He read the response to his query about her schedule and swore ripely in Chinese. Will asked, his hand going automatically to his gun, looking around for a threat that wasn't there, "Jack? What's wrong?" The Torchwood director ignored him for a moment, because of _course _there was a change in his wife's schedule! He should know better than that by now!

Still ignoring Will (just for the moment), Jack called, "Be aware, people … Lacey is planning to stop by the parish on her way to pick up Corey." Owen responded with language that made Tosh blush, Suzie looked equally unhappy, while Will just blanched in horror. The immortal continued, "I don't know if she's there now, or if she'll be there during the evacuation." Will started to speak, but Jack already had a pretty good idea of what he was about to ask. He shook his head, adding, "She silences her mobile while she's on the road, Will. She doesn't like having distractions while she's driving."

"What about contacting Hot Rod? Ironhide can contact him," the major pointed out. Jack needed only a moment to think about that, and then nodded quickly. Will slapped his shoulder, reminding him, "I'll head to the surface and get him to send that message. And you know that Hot Rod won't let anything happen to her, Jack … besides, Lacey may have impulsive moments, but she isn't stupid. She'll be fine." Oh, Jack knew that … he just _really_ wished that his wife wasn't caught in the crossfire, again. However, he admitted morosely, she's been in the crossfire from the day she was born. And that reminded him of something else. He flipped open his own mobile and dialed a particular number.

When he received an answer, Jack said, "It's me. I don't know if you've been told, but there's Decepticon activity over by St. Thomas Aquinas and Lacey may be over there. I know that Lacey cleared both you and Rinna to pick up Corey … if you like, I can call ahead to the school, let them know? Yeah? Thanks … I will. Will is asking Ironhide to send a transmission to Hot Rod, letting him know what's going on. I don't know if it'll be in time, don't even know if she's there, but at absolute worst … yeah, that's what I was thinking. Thanks again, John. I'll let you know when Lacey is safe." With his conversation concluded, Jack turned his attention to his team. Not surprisingly, Suzie was grumbling under her breath about Lacey's '_inability to stay out of trouble for five sodding minutes_.' Jack didn't correct her … not just because he knew she didn't really mean it, but because she needed to get it out of her system. Ianto returned from the AA just in time to hear about Lacey's intended destination, and hovered near Tosh's work station, looking troubled.

Not for the first time, Jack was beyond grateful that Lacey respected his feelings about organized religion and _didn't_ suggest sending their daughter to school at St. Thomas Aquinas. To have his wife in potential danger was bad enough … to have his wife _and_ daughter in potential danger would have been nearly unbearable. Jack motioned Ianto over, saying softly, "My father-in-law may bring Corey back here if he or Corinna picks her up from school. If he does, he'll call ahead … just make sure that Corey's coloring books are out for her. I keep a stock of those, along with crayons, in my office. We've done that before, and it's something normal, so she doesn't get scared about her mother. Can you take care of that for me?"

Ianto's eyes slid away, but only for a moment. He nodded, still a bit hesitant, and Jack bit back the impulse to tease the youngster. Ianto murmured, "Of course, sir." Oh hell, that was _so_ not fair! Every time the young Welshman called him 'sir,' Jack's legs went wobbly. Maybe it was the accent, maybe it was the vowels, but whatever it was, it was just plain devastating. Jack smiled at the boy, who turned an interesting shade of red (which was definitely his color) and beat a hasty retreat. With his daughter's security, safety and comfort seen to, Jack's mind jumped to another set of tracks.

He quickly snagged his second in command, who looked both cross and worried, and said, "I need you to drive over to the parish, Suzie … I'll be calling the elementary school to let them know that my in-laws will be picking up Corey. My father-in-law already knows the situation. Yes, I know one of us could have done that, but I don't want to scare my daughter any more than I absolutely have to." Suzie's features softened and she nodded her agreement. Jack bellowed, "Okay, kids, let's get going … we've got helpless civilians in the line of fire, let's move, let's move, let's move!" _And as for you, Alexandra Elizabeth_, he mentally told his absent wife, _you damn well better be alive when we get there_!

TBC


	10. Chapter 9: Timing is Everything

Author's Notes: First things first … I cannot claim Father Philip Callaghan, much as I'd like to. He comes from the long-dead TV series, _Poltergeist: The Legacy_, and was played by Patrick Fitzgerald. The show ran from 1996-1999, at first on Showtime, and then it was picked up by Sci-Fi (back when it deserved to be called that) for the final season. I absolutely adored him in the one season he was truly in the show, and couldn't resist making him Lacey's priest in Nevada. The next bit of business: in this chapter, Hot Rod receives a transmission from Ironhide; Lacey enlists the aid of her parish priest, Father Philip Callaghan, to get the other parishioners to safety; while NEST and Torchwood arrive on the scene.

Chapter Nine

Timing is Everything

St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church

Boulder City, Nevada

Well. This was a fine kettle of fish! Alexandra Keller Harkness folded her arms over her chest, striving mightily to keep a scowl off her face as she beheld the four walls that were currently both a shelter and a prison. It was all in how you looked at it.

Twenty-five minutes earlier, she and Hot Rod were cruising down the interstate, windows down and Lacey thoroughly enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair. While they had a brief conversation when they first met, and Optimus assigned his elder sparkling to her as a guardian, it was just that … brief. And so, they spent that time getting to know each other, happily chatting away as he drove her to St. Thomas. It was supposed to take no more than fifteen minutes … she'd be in the church long enough to turn the recipes over to Abigail-maybe say 'hi' to Kim-and then they'd head over to pick up Corey from school. Father Callaghan walked the fine line that was 'friendly and welcoming' and 'pushing too hard' with extraordinary balance. He was, she sensed, reserved by nature, but Abigail told her that he always had time for Kim. And as Lacey well knew, anyone who had time for Kim … really, anyone who treated her just as another human being … automatically won Abigail over.

Lacey was actually heading back to the … er, rather, she was heading back to Hot Rod when her cell phone rang. She answered it almost absent-mindedly, and stopped in mid-step when her guardian told her, sounding somewhat … disturbed, "You must stay inside the church, Alexandra." _Must_? Uhm, put that in the '_seriously not good_' category. Hot Rod continued, "I just received a transmission from Ironhide, who is at the Dam. There is a strong possibility that Decepticons who were damaged during the firefight at the convention center lost parts … and that they will return for those lost parts."

Okay, upgrade the situation from '_seriously not good_' to '_this is very bad_.' She asked in a low voice, "Suggestions?" There was a brief, stunned silence and Lacey rolled her eyes, sighing, "Hot Rod, you were assigned to protect me. I may not necessarily take your suggestions, but I need to hear them first. Now. What would you suggest we do? I'm not the only one in the church at the moment, so I'm not the only one in potential danger. There's Abigail Phan and her daughter, Father Callaghan, and a few other parishioners." Even as she spoke, she was glancing around the church, rejecting each potential hiding place as too risky. Then again, was there such a thing as a safe place? Not as a general rule, really, when all was said and done.

There was a second silence, and then Hot Rod answered, "I've run a scan of the building, Alexandra, and all indications are that the safest place to hide would be in the basement." The basement … Lacey wasn't sure where much of anything was in St. Thomas Aquinas. She'd only been a member of the parish for a few months, but still. Hot Rod's scans told him that the basement was the safest place in the church for her and the others, so then it was to the basement where they'd go. Now came the fun part … getting everyone down there.

"Understood. Tell Iron … no. No, _ask_ Ironhide to pass our location along to Jack, and don't forget to call us when it's safe to come out," Lacey requested, quickly amending her wording because one simply didn't make demands of a gigantic alien robot, not if one wanted to continue living. She added in a low voice when Hot Rod agreed, "For now, I have to go tell our priest that we have to hide in the basement from a potential alien robot invasion. That's gonna go over real well." Still, if it had to be done, it had to be done, and whining about it wouldn't do any good.

She approached Father Callaghan, who was retreating from the altar, and he offered her a gentle smile, saying, "Mrs. Harkness. I'm sorry we haven't had th' opportunity t' talk before, but welcome t' the parish. Mrs. Phan has told me that you've become invaluable in th' last few weeks. But you're not here t' talk about that, are you?" He had a lovely Irish accent, she noticed, and there'd been a time when he was a very handsome man. But the years wore away at him, and yes, there were handsome priests. There was … never mind.

Lacey responded with a gentle smile of her own, answering, "What I'm about to tell you, Father Callaghan, is … well, you'll have a hard time believing it. But every word is true. We need to move to the basement right now. All of our lives may be in danger." His blue-gray eyes narrowed and Lacey explained the situation quickly and quietly. There was no sense in alarming everyone, after all. She told him about the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons and about the confrontation in Mission City. She did not, however, tell him about Torchwood. It would be up to NEST to deal with what came next, since this involved the Decepticons. Technically speaking, since the Cybertronians were involved, Torchwood was as well. However, she wasn't real interested in technicalities at the moment.

And, much to her surprise, once she finished, Father Callaghan merely nodded and told her, "Then we should get downstairs. You lead th' other parishioners down, and I'll bring up th' rear. Do you think you'll be able t' help carry Kim Phan down? I'll be needed t' carry down her wheelchair." Lacey was blinking in astonishment, because this easy acceptance was the last thing she expected. Father Callaghan offered another gentle smile, saying, "I have seen and experienced far more than you can imagine, Alexandra Harkness. This? Well, this is new, but from what you've told me, holy water won't work too well against these behemoths."

That comment, and the wry grin that crossed the priest's face, surprised a laugh out of Lacey. Still grinning, she answered, "No, I think you're right about that one. All right, let's get these people out of the line of the fire … and I'll help Abigail with Kim … but one day, I'd really like those stories of yours." Father Callaghan's smile broadened and once again, Lacey could see the handsome young man he was once. She wondered how many hearts he broke when he joined the priesthood, and then put it out of her mind. There was work to be done.

The first thing was warning Abigail Phan what they needed to do. Abigail, showing the calm and serenity that must have seen her through years of raising a disabled child and dealing with people's ignorance, merely asked, "Help me to lift her? I'm not as young as I used to be." Lacey quickly assented, and together, they picked up the teenage girl from her wheelchair and carefully carried her down the stairs into the basement … which was obviously once a nursery. A long abandoned nursery. Abigail said quietly as they settled Kim into a seat, "You go back and help the others, Lacey. I can handle it from here. She spent a lot of time here when she was a baby, and it wouldn't surprise me if she remembers it."

"Father Callaghan is herding everyone else down. About the only thing I think he might need help with is Kim's wheelchair," was Lacey's equally quiet response. She removed her cell phone from her pocket and texted Hot Rod to let him know that they were getting people into the basement. Her guardian immediately informed her that he was pleased to hear it, and that Jack was on his way. Oh yes, and he made alternate arrangements for Corey … either her father or her mother would pick up her daughter from school, and take her back to the Dam. Thank God.

"You're no ordinary military wife, are you, Alexandra Harkness? Any more than your husband is ordinary in any way," Abigail said softly. Lacey responded with something that was a cross between a grimace and a smile, because really, how else could she react to that statement? Abigail continued, nodding a little, "I see. You can't tell me … most likely for my safety and maybe even yours. That's fine, I do understand. But I'll remember you and your husband in my prayers tonight." Lacey put her hand over Abigail's, offering the older woman a smile as two parishioners carried Kim's wheelchair down the stairs, with Father Callaghan bringing up the rear. Abigail squeezed her hand, asking softly, "Now what?"

Lacey could only sigh as she looked around, "Now? Now we wait … and we pray." Abigail looked at her for a long moment, and then nodded. The two women fell into a tense but companionable silence, fingers interlaced as Father Callaghan and another parishioner (whose name Lacey still didn't know … too many names she didn't know yet) got Kim settled in her wheelchair once again.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Hot Rod was still having a hard time understanding humans. Both his sire and the Prime's bodyguard warned him that would be the case for some time. They warned him, and he should have listened, but as usual … he didn't. One of these orns, that would get him into trouble. If he'd been in his bi-pedal form, Hot Rod would have grimaced. '_One of these orns_,' was it? It already got him into trouble, more than once! At least this time, the trouble wasn't world-ending or family-destroying. That was something at least.

He was released to retrieve Alexandra and begin his first orn as her guardian shortly after Captain Harkness arrived at the Dam. For some reason, the Torchwood director was … well, he seemed uncomfortable with Hot Rod. It worried at his processor … and at his sire's processor. His sire admitted that he'd never known the young human to be uncomfortable with anyone, in the admittedly-short time since they met. The young femme, Mikaela, added as she sat atop Bumblebee that 'Jack' was rarely uncomfortable with 'Bots and humans alike. She added with a mischievous smile that meeting Optimus didn't count. Bumblebee responded with what Hot Rod later learned were called 'laugh tracks.' It hurt to listen to his little brother now, and Hot Rod vowed that if he ever had Megatron in his sights again, he would take his spark … uncle or not.

But that was in the future, and it was Hot Rod's desire to learn more about his new home … and his new ward. He already knew the most important things, according to his sire … but Hot Rod wanted to know more. The more he knew, the better he could do his job. And so, Alexandra told him about the area where they were … the state of Nevada, in the United States of America. These were all things he could look up on the World Wide Web, but he was intrigued by the way she saw her world. A 'Bot could tell a great deal about a person from such conversations.

After she told him about the area, and her favorite places around her home and the Dam, the conversation next moved onto her family. She was the oldest of three daughters … and when she said the oldest, she meant it. Her younger sister Bronwyn, who was the middle sister, was nine years younger than she was … and Cecilia, the baby of the family, was sixteen years younger. According to the statistics Hot Rod found, this was uncommon. He shot a data burst to his own younger brother, who confirmed it tended to be uncommon, although his own humans were both only sparklings.

And that, of course, brought them to Alexandra's own sparkling … Corinna Rose. She was named for Alexandra's own mother and for a lost friend of Captain Harkness. Hot Rod heard a little about her earlier, during his first meeting with Alexandra, but now he learned more … given his strained relationship with his sire, and the loss of his femme creator, Hot Rod rarely allowed himself to think about Elita-One. But now, listening to the love and pride in Alexandra's voice as she talked about her little Corinna, Hot Rod wondered if that same love and pride was present in his femme creator's voice when she spoke of him and Bumblebee. He was so young when Sunburst was murdered … so very young.

As if summoned by thoughts of his own lost sister, Alexandra told him then about her lost child, the first child that would have been born to her and her husband. His new charge miscarried this first child several years earlier, while they lived in Cardiff, Wales. And while Alexandra didn't even know she was pregnant at the time, the loss of her child was still the source of pain. It wasn't the raw, open wound it was at first, of course … but the grief was still there, and she admitted that it likely always would be, along with the thoughts of what might have been. Hot Rod had no idea what to say to comfort his ward, and so, he remained silent as she once more grieved for that child she would never meet.

Eventually, he hesitantly asked her about where they were going today … and that was Hot Rod's first exposure to the various Earth religions. Alexandra admitted that she would need more time to prepare for any questions he might have for her, and that was more than fine with Hot Rod. After they were finished at the church, they would next go to Corinna's school to pick her up. Hot Rod was quietly grateful that he thought to put that strange little chair inside him, as that was Corey's booster seat. Its purpose was the security and safety of the sparklings who rode within the vehicles.

Of course, once they reached the church, that was when things went to the Pit (although Hot Rod was beginning to like the phrase adopted by NEST from Torchwood, 'going pear-shaped'). He received a data burst from Ironhide about the Decepticons … and since they might return for those lost parts, Hot Rod would bet an orn's worth of energon that it wasn't simply missing bits of armor, but important things. Regardless, he was informed that his responsibility was not to engage any Decepticons unless they were an imminent threat to Alexandra and those with her. Hot Rod spared a moment to thank Primus that they went to the church before the school … otherwise, he would have to worry about Corinna Harkness, as well as her mother. Between the murder of his older sister when they were sparklings and the later murder of nearly all sparklings and younglings, the last thing Hot Rod was a human child caught in the crossfire.

Once he received his orders from Ironhide, Hot Rod mused on the best way to contact Alexandra. His scans of the church informed him that she was preparing to return to him, and for a moment, he thought about doing just that. His primary responsibility was protecting her. But a quick moment of processing likely scenarios convinced him that Alexandra was far safer in the church at the moment than she was inside him. If he left with her now, they ran the risk of encountering Decepticons, which would put her in far greater danger. And the Hot Rod who would have welcomed such a confrontation no longer existed. He notified his ward … and that was when he realized how much he had to learn about humans. Alexandra immediately asked what his recommendation was. Until then, he didn't realize that he assumed Alexandra would argue with him. After all, they just met a few days earlier, and briefly at that.

However, he was her protector and as she told him, even if she didn't necessarily agree with or even accept his recommendations, she had to hear them first. Which was, he thought, a rather reasonable response, and so he did another scan of the building. He ran the calculations and came to the conclusion that the safest place for the small group of humans was in the basement of the church. Much to his astonishment, she concurred with his recommendation and told … and then _requested _for him to ask Ironhide to pass along their whereabouts to her husband. She didn't think he heard her mutter under her breath, '_you just don't make demands of a gigantic alien robot, not if you want to continue living_,' but he did. He heard far more than she thought.

When this was all over, he would tell her that. For now, his sensors were telling him that Decepticons were on their way. Hot Rod would have shuddered, if he could have … staying here was the wisest move, he saw now. The Decepticons were on their way, and the other humans were moving slowly into the basement, which would provide some safety if things went truly pear-shaped. The Decepticons were coming, but so was NEST, and Hot Rod _knew_ that the 'Bots and their human allies would get there first.

TWTFTWTFTWTF

"Okay, everyone, you know what you're supposed to do … get to it, we've got an entire neighborhood to evacuate and the Decepticons aren't far behind us," Major Will Lennox barked to his NEST team. The men scattered to knock on doors and make sure everyone was out, while Will looked around for the distinctive black Torchwood SUV. There was never any question of Torchwood joining or not joining them on this op … but Jack agreed before they even left the Dam that NEST would be in charge. That meant a slight change in the standard operating procedure for the British institute … including the necessity of Retcon if things went pear-shaped (which was always a possibility).

While NEST understood Torchwood's use of Retcon (and admitted that it could come in handy on more than one occasion), they preferred to use other methods to protect both the 'Bots and the unsuspecting humans. Fortunately, while the director of Torchwood was playful and mischievous (to say nothing of flirtatious), he was also smart. Jack saw their point, and was willing to play by their rules. Technically speaking, this was a NEST operation, and Torchwood was assisting. Then again, one of the first things that Will Lennox learned about his counterpart in Torchwood (aside from the fact that Jack was an incorrigible flirt) was that he was a quid pro quo kinda guy. Give him attitude and he'd return it. It wasn't an attitude that Will could copy, but he sure as hell could appreciate it. Then again, that was par for the course with Torchwood.

On this, however, Jack had to agree to Will's terms … and he did so. They would evacuate the community, using a cover story concocted by the Secretary of Defense himself. Those who could leave had already done so … NEST and Torchwood were making sure everyone else left. Besides, Will was determined that Mission City wouldn't happen again. He couldn't do anything about the property damage, unless the Autobots could lure the Decepticons from the town, but he would damn well make sure that so many people didn't die this time around. And yes, that included Jack. Not just because it freaked out NEST personnel when he died, but because Jack was family. Will hadn't quite figured out yet what role he was in the family, but that was par for the course with Jack. And it wasn't the point. The point _was_, he was family.

The other point was reaching the community where St. Thomas Aquinas stood, and evacuating people before Decepticons could turn them into jelly and their homes into so much rubbish. It was agreed before they even reached the site that Suzie, Tosh and Owen would help to load those remaining in the community due to a lack of transportation into the Autobots in vehicular mode. The cover story which they were using was a gas leak in the area (it worked so well, they would use it again a few years later in Shanghai. Will just wished he'd known that Jack was in China during the Boxer Rebellion. That could have made their jobs a lot easier). Of course, if the Decepticons trashed the area, they would have to figure out another cover story … but Will was inclined to accept Jack's suggestion of an explosion caused by the gas leak. No fuss, no muss.

"Where is my wife?" Jack asked quietly as soon as the Torchwood SUV pulled up along Ironhide and the captain swung out of the vehicle. Those were actually the first words out of his mouth … no flirting, no teasing, not even a request for information regarding the situation as a whole. Appreciating his counterpart's directness, Will told the other man that upon Hot Rod's recommendation, Lacey and the rest of her fellow parishioners took shelter in the basement below St. Thomas Aquinas. Jack merely nodded, murmuring, "Good. That's good to hear." His Bluetooth must have beeped at him with an incoming call, because he made a small face and tapped his ear-piece. He listened intently, and then said, "Thanks, John. I'll keep you posted."

Which meant that SecDef Keller had his granddaughter at the Dam, and the little girl was being distracted … and hopefully, she would never even know that her mother was ever in any danger. Will said softly as Jack returned his attention to scanning for Decepticons, "You know, you could go ahead and get your wife and the others out. There's time." Jack offered him a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, and Will shrugged, adding, "I thought it was worth making the offer. I'm military, you aren't."

"Thanks for the offer, Will, but Lacey would never forgive me if I did that. She won't want us to get them out of there until she's sure that there isn't a threat any more … until _we're _sure that the danger is gone," Jack answered quietly. His smile grew a little more genuine as he added, "My Lacey-girl doesn't believe in half-measures. So let's get this job done, and then I can collect my wife and take her to our daughter." Will smiled back. Jack might not be part of the same military as Will, but he was a soldier, and like Will, he would do his duty.

"Let's get going, then. We sent a car through earlier, announcing that the area would be evacuated due to a gas leak. The rest of my guys are checking now for any stragglers," Will explained. Jack nodded and the major added, "I think Hot Rod is a little surprised by Lacey accepting his recommendation for taking shelter inside the church basement. I kinda got the impression, based on Ironhide's observation to me, that Hot Rod was expecting her to put up more of an argument." Jack merely smirked at that, and Will continued, half wanting to duck this conversation and half wanting to get it over with, once and for all, "He also seems to think that you're uncomfortable with him. I honestly don't care one way or the other, Jack, as long as it doesn't create a distraction."

"I knew him. From your future, and my past. I have to be careful in my interaction with him, because I met a future version of him when I was a boy, before my home was invaded," Jack answered quietly as they walked together. Will swallowed hard, because he knew some details of this story … how Jack's home planet was invaded when he was just a child, no more than twelve or thirteen, how his brother was lost and his father was killed during that invasion.

And then Will thought about the rest of Jack's statement, what that meant for both Jack and for Hot Rod. He said slowly, "Hot Rod never mentioned meeting you or NEST or anything like that. Which means that he either didn't recognize the child version of you … or you warned him about not telling him about your future in the past." He winced, shaking his head, and muttered, "Damn. Temporal mechanics give me a headache." Jack laughed softly, his eyes still on the horizon. And then, they both felt it … the rumbling under their feet. Will shouted, "They're coming!" And so was one helluva fight.

TBC


End file.
